


Dreams

by Laurawrzz



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Doctor Whump, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-08
Updated: 2009-11-08
Packaged: 2017-10-28 07:17:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 51,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/305238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laurawrzz/pseuds/Laurawrzz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor and Rose land in London... trouble is the last time they checked they could've sworn the Earth wasn't a bomb-ridden, alien dominated slave planet in the middle of an instellar War. Can Ten, Jack and Rose save the world this time? Major DoctorWhump</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Krunchy Kittens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon is A/U series 2 :D

"Rose, my dog has no nose!"

Rose grinned. "Oh poor thing, how does he smell?"

"Terrible!" the Doctor delivered the punch line with a large, loony grin, before yanking down hard on one of the levers of the TARDIS and throwing his arms in the air with enthusiasm. "Planet Barcelona!" he bellowed. "Where the dogs have no noses, where the beaches are perfect, where the local food doesn't make you throw up!" He paused, thinking about this. "Or… at least, I _hope_ it won't make you throw up. Humans!" he stated, shaking his head in disbelief. "Silly humans, throwing up at the smallest things…"

"It was a _kitten's heart,_ Doctor!" Rose squeaked.

"A delicacy in certain parts of the galaxy!" the Doctor insisted.

"Doctor, I do _not eat kittens!"_

He rolled his eyes. "Humans!" he stated again, flicking a switch on the console. "Never open to diversity! No wonder you're so far down the evolutionary tree…"

Luckily for the Doctor the TARDIS landed sloppily, throwing both of her occupants to the floor so Rose was unable to reach him to throttle him. Before Rose could pull herself back together and make any move towards him, the Doctor grabbed his coat from the support strut and pulled it on, disappearing out the door.

And stopped dead.

Rose almost walked into him. "Doctor, what…" she trailed off as she looked at their surroundings, realising what was wrong. "London!" she exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief. "As much as I love London, Doctor, there are a billion more places in the Universe y'know!"

"Rose…" the Doctor said gently, stepping forward a few paces and spinning around, taking in the view. "Something's wrong."

Rose took a few hesitant steps forward, taking in the view as he had. He was right. Something _was_ wrong. The high street they were standing on was absolutely deserted of life – a Saturday night in London town that should've been alive with people shopping and partying – leaving nothing but the sound of the wind whistling through the street.

"What happened?" she wondered aloud, knowing full well she wouldn't get an answer. She let her eyes scan to the end of the street - there was a burnt-out car sat on the corner; a blackened heap of metal teetering on the edge of a massive crater…

"Bomb," she whispered, and suddenly the chill of the night air hit her. She pulled the sleeves of her hoody over her hands, folding her arms to block out the cold as she tried to figure out things in her head. Bombs… burnt out cars… Had they landed in the middle of the Blitz?

She was about to voice this idea to the Doctor, when she realised he'd disappeared from her side. She cast a glance around the deserted street to find him looking in the window of an abandoned shop, nose to the glass.

"It's been deserted…" he muttered as Rose came up behind him, staring in the pane of glass with him. It was dark within, but the moonlight showed them all they needed to know. HD widescreen TVs were still sat on the shelves, as were the latest digital cameras and computers abandoned to the dust. That negated her Blitz idea, then. This technology was _way_ too advanced for the 1940's. "Someone left in a hurry," the Doctor continued, "and by the looks of it, quite a long time ago. But _why?"_

Rose shrugged. "Tourist information board would be helpful right now…" she joked half-heartedly. The Doctor gave a fleeting smile before his brow furrowed once more, his magnificent brain scanning through every possibility, and the likelihood of each. He backed away from the window out into the street, his eyes continuously searching the shops of the empty street for any more clues, deep in thought. So much so in fact, that he completely missed the van speeding towards him…

The sound of the engine screaming down the road hadn't really registered in Rose's mind as being out of place, so much so that the loud thud and the screech of brakes was the thing that made her spin around, her eyes focusing on the crumpled body wearing a trench coat lying in front of the bumper of a black van…

"DOCTOR!" Rose screamed in a blur of panic, rushing over to the unmoving Time Lord lying in front of the van and turning him over, fingers resting on his pulse point. He was still going strong. Her eyes moved up, finding his eyes closed with blood forming on a place near his hairline. It was apparent the impact had thrown him onto the road, causing him to smack his head hard onto the concrete… but… Was he concussed? Had he broken anything? She needed to get him back to the TARDIS…

The sound of a van door opening rang in her ears, and she looked over her shoulder to find a tall man, fully clad in black armour and a helmet with a tinted visor staring down at her with a gun in his hand.

"What are you doing out past curfew?" the figure demanded in a rough, deep voice, bringing up the lethal weapon to point at her heart.

Rose stared at him in the shock of the moment. "C… Curfew?" she stuttered, confused. Cover yourself, girl! Think of an excuse! "Umm, we were…" Now! Quick! Do it! "We were… Havin' a baby!" she spluttered out, and then realised what she'd said. "… That wasn't very convincin', was it?" she let go a laugh, trying to make them see her as a _person…_

The man stared at her, hard. She heard another presence step up on her right, and she swivelled her head to look up at a second figure dressed in the same attire as the other, also pointing a gun at her chest.

"You will come with us," the man who had first spoken to her ordered, grabbing her arm and wrenching her roughly from the unconscious Doctor onto her feet. He restrained her with one arm easily, the other arm holding his gun to her temple as an incentive to stay still. She watched in horror as the other man easily scooped up the unconscious Doctor and threw him over his shoulder with ease, marching around to the back of the van.

"No! Where're you takin' him?" she struggled to pull free of the strong grip as the Doctor disappeared, only to find she was being dragged in the same direction. At that precise moment she had no idea whether that was good or bad… "What're you doin'?" she yelled, desperate. "Let go!"

The man dragging her didn't answer, merely following his accomplice holding the Doctor as he flung open the back door of the van to reveal a dozen or so battered looking people, men, woman and children all crammed inside like sardines in a tin, chained by the wrists and ankles with a look of utter fear on their faces.

"Let go!" Rose gasped, struggling to get free. "Look, just chill, yeah? We didn't mean to, we…" She felt the cold barrel of the gun press hard into her temple, and she promptly shut her mouth.

The man holding the Doctor slammed him down onto the van floor with no consideration for any injuries he may have had, fixing chains around his wrists and ankles before turning to the man holding Rose, gesturing to push her to him. She couldn't let this just happen… She had to do _something…_ She began struggling again as she was exchanged between the two…

"Let them go!" a voice suddenly yelled from behind her and she felt the grip on her slacken, making her stumble and fall heavily to the ground. Suddenly a barrage of gunfire came from above her and she screamed in alarm, instinct telling her to get up and run but forcing herself to stay on the ground, arms covering her head for protection.

"Get up!" a voice commanded her, grabbing her arm and yanking her onto her feet. "You're in the line of fire!"

She had no choice but to obey the voice, the arm dragging her over to the side of the road out of the gunfire. They took refuge behind a burnt out car, Rose peeking through the gaps to the chaos of a street fight going on in front of her.

More gunfire and the guards of the van began to retreat, one slipping in the front of the vehicle as the other jumped into the backed, grabbing a man and using him as a body shield. There was a cry of alarm from the attacking party before the man who had saved her grabbed her once more, dragging her off back down the road to a place of safety. She instantly erupted into panic, trying desperately to pull herself away from the man's steely grip.

"No! I have to save the Doctor!" she yelled, thrashing around in his grasp. "They took him!"

The man suddenly stopped dead, turning around to face her for the first time. His blond hair was streaked with mud, his face cut up from the effects of battle, his clothes torn and blooded. His forest green eyes locked with her brown ones, his expression serious as his hands came to rest on her shoulders.

"Your friend is dead," he said straight, not even blinking. "And if he's not, he'll soon be wishing he was. I know how you feel, really I do, my sister, my wife and my mum died in the same way. But realise that he died in aid of giving you enough time to escape, remember that. If I was him, saving you from them would've been my last wish. Please don't destroy that. If you go back in, you will be killed, or you will spend the rest of your life in agony. Please, for him… _run."_

The last word struck her heart like a lightning bolt.

She felt completely numb. She couldn't find the sensation to stop her feet as the man dragged her off again, weaving in and out of bystanders to an unknown destination.

_Run._

Just like he had always said.

But this time, she was running on her own.


	2. Elephants In Pink Tutus

The past twenty minutes had gone by in a blur.

The man who had saved Rose had since vanished, leaving her in a van with several other grubby, battle torn-looking men holding guns. She'd been given a blanket and a mug of vile looking brown liquid. The van was headed somewhere, bad suspension making the occupants bounce everywhere. All the while Rose's mind was in a whirl – what was happening? When had they landed? Where was the Doctor now? Was he still alive? What had that blond-haired man meant? Where had that van been going? Who were the men dressed in black Kevlar? What about her mum? Was she alive? Where was _this_ van going? Who were these people?

She tried asking the men in the van with her a few of these questions, but none of them felt inclined to answer her, far too absorbed in their own thoughts. None of them were smiling. No one had smiled at her since the Doctor twenty minutes previously, just before he'd…

She swallowed back tears. The Doctor wasn't dead. He couldn't be dead. Even if he was in that van right now, chained up and unconscious, when he woke up he would be out of the situation in a flash and making his way back to her, single-handedly defeating the bad guys and saving a few random people on the way. Right?

She wished he'd hurry up.

She put her head in her hands, and tried to stop herself from crying.

* * *

"What've we got, James?" Kate Stevens asked as a scruffy black-haired man came rushing into the makeshift hospital, a body hanging limp in his arms.

"We found him on the last batch the Kevs were tryin' to take to the work camp," James said in a London accent as he moved forward, placing the brown-haired man he held carefully down on the examining table at the centre of the room. Kate slipped a towel beneath the man's head as she began to loosen his clothing. "We couldn't get the van, but he fell out the back as they pulled away."

Kate stopped suddenly, raising her head to look at James. "You mean… The people they took… Leah…"

James avoided eye contact, but nodded affirmation. Kate bit back the urge to cry, memories of her friend swimming through her mind… The friend she would never see again. No. This was no time for grieving. She had a job to do. She looked back down at the unmoving man again, examining the smear of blood on his forehead.

"Head trauma… looks superficial," Kate murmured. "How long has he been unconscious?"

"He was like this when we found him," James explained. "Though this was after he fell out the back, I supposed that could've knocked him out but… That still makes it nearly an hour."

Kate frowned. Back in the hospital where she had worked before this had all begun an injury like this would've been one of the easiest things to treat, a quick bandage and a CT scan, take two tablets and call back in the morning job. But right now her options were limited, she was no better than a field surgeon on the frontline.

She checked the man's pupils, before examining his neck for injuries. "He looks a bit clean. Probably been hiding for the past few months. Was there anyone with him?"

James shrugged. "I came later. I didn't see anyone."

Finding no injuries to his neck, she pulled back his shirt and began to examine his torso.

"Bruises to the left and right of chest cavity…" Kate announced. "I think they beat this guy around a little bit." She lifted her stethoscope from around her neck, and listened to the man's heartbeat. Suddenly a frown creased her brow and she moved the chestpiece across to the left, before slowly pulling the earpieces from her ears and looking down at the man in a state of utter shock.

"Kate?" James asked, concerned. He leant forward and clicked his fingers in front of her eyes. "You all right?"

"He's… got two hearts…" she whispered, pointing at the man on the table.

James became alert instantly drawing out his gun and pointing it at the man's head. Kate rose to her feet, eyes wide in alarm.

"No, James!"

James looked at her for a moment, his eyes dark and unforgiving. "You're right. Not in here." He slid the gun back into its holster and lifted the unconscious man up again, the gentleness reflected before no longer present as he marched out of the tent into the open air. Kate followed, just in time to see James throw the body onto the floor and draw out his gun again.

"James!" she called again, grabbing his arm and clinging on. "This is ridiculous!"

"He's an alien, Kate!" James barked, malicious. "He's one of them!"

"He doesn't look like one of them!" Kate insisted.

"It's an illusion thing! Just to make us trust him and accept him!"

"James you're being paranoid!"

James looked at Kate, his gun still trained on the comatose body lying in front of him. "Am I, Kate? Am I?" he demanded furiously. "He… It," James quickly corrected himself. _"It's_ in league with them!"

"James this is ridiculous…"

A crowd was gathering now, but James didn't seem to notice. "You said it yourself, Kate! It's way too clean! If it was on our side it would be like us! Filthy and underfed!"

"He's only got two hearts!" Kate interjected desperately. "It could be a birth defect! It doesn't make him an alien, and even if it did, why did the Kevs try to take him?"

"I _told_ you Kate, it's all part of their plan! They're tryin' to get someone inside!" James cocked back the hammer of his gun, perfecting his aim for the helpless man's head. "Now stand back!"

"Stop!" a voice shrieked as suddenly Jackie Tyler pushed through the crowd, her eyes fixed on the body lying helpless on the floor. It was the Doctor.

"Jackie!" Kate gasped, diving to stand next to her friend.

"I know 'im, don't shoot!" Jackie said quickly, kneeling down next to the Doctor. James cast a look at Kate, who nodded reassurance.

"Word of a friend," she said, and James resigned, shoving his gun back in its holster angrily before stalking off, pushing his way through the crowd. Jackie turned her attentions back to the Doctor, pulling him over to lay on his back. His head lolled with her pull as his shirt slipped down, revealing to Jackie the bruises around his ribs and the blood on his forehead.

"Doctor? Wake up," Jackie said gently, to no response.

"We need to get him inside," Kate said gently, aware of the staring crowd.

* * *

After twenty more minutes, the van Rose was in stopped moving. The cloth covering the back was lifted and another grubby male face bobbed into view, his expression hopeful. His face fell when he locked his eyes on Rose.

"Only one?" he asked.

"Think so," one of the men in the van with her replied in a Manchester accent.

The man standing at the back of the van gave a heavy sigh, before his eyes averted to Rose's and he forced a smile, offering out a hand.

"You come with me," he said. Too exhausted and worried to care, she took the proffered hand and climbed out the back of the truck. She emerged in what looked like a shantytown, houses made from scraps of metal and wood, cloths used as doors. There were tens of makeshift houses assembled around them, silent and still in the midnight air.

"Are you injured?" the man asked. Rose shook her head; afraid if she opened her mouth she might start crying for real. She was so confused, tired and scared, her body aching, as was her heart. He took the hint and held the silence between them, taking her into one of the houses.

"Maggie," the man holding her hand said to a woman huddled into a shawl in the corner of the room. She looked up, eyes flicking over to Rose. Instantly her face broke into a smile, emphasising the crinkles at the eyes of a kindly face.

"Hello sweetie," she said, rising from her chair. "Is she the only one?"

Rose watched as he nodded. "Yes."

The woman nodded once. "Thank you, Dave."

"This is Maggie, she'll look after you till you find your feet," Dave explained to Rose. "We're all in this together. If you need anything, just ask." He gave her a reassuring smile before disappearing back out the door.

Maggie comforted her, offering her food to which she declined. She found Rose a spare bed in an adjoining room, and then left.

Only then did Rose finally burst into tears.

* * *

The Doctor awoke to the feeling of someone dabbing his forehead with something wet. He groaned, easing open his eyes to the world outside – and got the shock of his life.

"Jackie!" he gasped, eyes wide.

"'Ello Doctor," she said gently.

"Why are you… What… I'm in a nightmare, aren't I?" he concluded, regarding his undone shirt, evoking panic. "This is where the elephants in pink tutus come in and start throwing pears at me…"

"Oh same as always, Doctor!" Jackie said, rolling her eyes. "You want proof?" She reached forward and pinched his arm.

He yelped in pain, looking up at Jackie. "You're real! Why are you real? Where am I? Where's Rose?"

Jackie sighed at his words, continuing to tend to his head. "I was hopin' _you_ knew where Rose was."

His brow furrowed as he attempted to recall the memories of the time before everything went black. "We… We just landed. We were on a deserted street. I remember Rose looking in a shop window as I backed out into the road, and then I heard an engine, looked to the right… but it was too late to move." He winced. "They didn't slow down, it hit me, I must've been knocked out by the impact."

"That was probably a Kev van," a voice suddenly said from beside them and the Doctor looked up to meet the gaze of a thin young woman wearing glasses, her hair gathered in a messy ponytail. "They don't slow down. They probably wanted to kill you. It's just sport to them."

"Kev?" the Doctor echoed. "Who's he then?"

Kate opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it again, staring at him with a frown.

"Explanations in the morning, you get some rest. I'm keeping you in overnight for observation. You were unconscious for nearly an hour, maybe longer."

"Really, I'm fine," the Doctor insisted, still making to get up. "I have to find Rose…"

"You're stayin' 'ere, Doctor!" Jackie said firmly, and the Doctor winced as the voice vibrated the headache in his skull. "I've already lost one of you, I'm not losin' the other aswell!"

He finally sagged, giving in, far too disoriented and weak to put up a fight. He rested back against the makeshift bed, letting himself be mothered by Jackie Tyler as he silently prayed that Rose was safe.


	3. So What Exactly's Going On?

Rose Tyler got the shock of her life when she woke up from the dregs of a sleepless night to find the shadow of a tall, muscular man looming over her bed in the early morning sunlight. She opened her mouth to scream when a hand suddenly clamped over her mouth and a face came into view, a pearly white smile revealing itself to her in reassurance.

"It's okay, Rose, it's me!" the man said as she focused bleary eyes on the face of one Captain Jack Harkness, grinning down at her.

"Jack!" she gasped beneath his hand still covering her mouth. "What?"

"Hello!" he said, pulling his hand away and drawing her into a friendly hug. "Surprised?"

She was staring at him as if he were a ghost. "I… I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Well…" Jack pulled back and shrugged, broadening his grin to impossible proportions. "Here I am!"

"Did the Doctor send you?" Rose asked instantly, and Jack could see the want in her eyes, the anxiety in her tone.

"No…" he replied slowly, raising an eyebrow. "What happened? Where's the Doctor?"

Trying to hold back the tears Rose began to explain what had happened the previous night – how they had landed, how they had wandered around, how the Doctor had been hit by the van, how she'd been saved, how she'd been forced to abandon the Doctor to an unknown fate…

* * *

The unknown fate the Doctor had been abandoned to was by no means an enjoyable experience for him. Finally managing to get to sleep after Jackie had finished lecturing and mothering him he'd been rudely awoken by her erratically shaking his shoulder what felt like seconds later, practically throwing a bowl of cold porridge down his throat.

"Jackie!" he choked through the tasteless gunk. "I'm not hungry!"

"You need to keep your strength up," she said shortly.

"But I'm fit and healthy!" the Doctor protested. "I could run a mara…glub…" he broke off as Jackie shoved the spoon straight in his mouth.

"No you're not, you're weak and vulnerable and my only chance of findin' my daughter!" she replied irately. "Which – by the way – it's _your_ fault for losin' 'er! If she's…" she trailed off suddenly, taking the spoon out of his mouth as her eyes averted to a point in front of her in deep thought. He swallowed, feeling like he was swallowing tar before he looked up at her with a gentleness in his eyes.

"She's not dead," he said, "I'll find her."

Jackie looked back at him. She looked hopeful, but her eyes were full of doubt. "You don't know what's been goin' on, Doctor…"

"Then tell me."

Jackie looked away from him again, taking the opportunity to shovel some more porridge into his mouth. "Where d'you want me to start?"

"Who are the Kevs?" he asked once he'd managed to swallow the fresh spoon of tar.

"They're like, police, but not," she explained, "they work for the overseers, doin' their dirty work."

"Overseers…" The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "I think you'd better start from the beginning."

* * *

"It started about ten months ago," Captain Jack was saying as he and Rose walked down a street of the shantytown, the early morning risers sitting outside their tents making breakfast (if they had any). Rose was turning heads as she and Jack passed by making her feel slightly on edge, but Jack had explained it was because she was so clean. These people had been forced to flee their homes and live in makeshift tents and houses for three months in constant fear with no means of comfort or hygiene. "We were monitoring incoming frequencies and that's when we got the transmission. It was a message to Earth."

"So it was aliens. What did they say?" Rose queried as Jack took her hand, maintaining a firm grip as watchful eyes peeked cautiously at them from the side.

"It just said, 'Declaration Of War'. Everyone panicked, we went on red alert… But nothing happened for two months. We thought they'd just left us and moved on… maybe even a joke on their part, we dunno, but we came off red alert and just forgot about it… but then five months later… they arrived."

* * *

"It was bloody mad, I can tell ya!" Jackie was saying, thankfully having set the bowl down on the side as she told her story. "Suddenly there were aliens all over the street shootin' everyone! No sign of _you_ , either! The TV newsperson told us to flee our 'omes, takin' bare essentials. I wasn't goin' to but then the aliens came onto our estate…" She paused, shuddering involuntarily at the memory. "I found a group that were goin' to a refugee camp they'd 'eard about, and 'ere we are."

"So these aliens are the overseers?" the Doctor asked.

* * *

Jack nodded at Rose's question. "The overseers rule everythin', now. They use the Earth as a sort of weapon manufacturin' planet. They don't care about the humans. As far as they're concerned, we're just some ants that need squishin' under a big boot."

"So these Kevs…" Rose began, still trying to figure things out in her head as they neared their destination. "Who are they, really?"

"We call them Kevs because they wear black Kevlar. They're humans that help the overseers in exchange for them sparin' their lives," he explained. "D'you remember the Gestapo from Nazi Germany?"

Rose shuddered. "Yeah. History lessons."

"They're sort of like them. That black van was takin' those people to a work camp. They'd been goin' to get some food when the Kevs got 'em. We don't know exactly what goes on there, maybe somethin' to do with weapon manufacturing, but…" he trailed off, gripping her hand a little tighter. "If the Doctor got taken there, and if he's injured and unable to work… He's useless stock. They'll kill him on the spot, conscious or not."

* * *

"D'you think they got 'er, Doctor?" Jackie asked anxiously. "D'you think they took 'er to a work camp?"

The Doctor didn't answer her. "And who saved me?"

"They were the Rebels," Jackie said, and the Doctor's eyes fixed on the bowl of porridge she was about to pick up again… "They're like, the people liberation group. They try to stop the Kevs from takin' people to work camps; do rescue missions and stuff."

He took this in, a plan began to form in his mind. "D'you know where their headquarters are?"

Jackie nodded, frowning. "What, you gonna get them to 'elp you find Rose?"

"Bigger picture, Jackie," the Doctor said, pushing himself up to get out of bed.

"Doctor!" Jackie scolded, but the Doctor ignored her.

"Jackie, Rose is out there somewhere," he said firmly as he got onto his feet for the first time in what felt like days, stretching wide. "She's strong, but she could be in a work camp, all alone, scared and confused. We have to find her, and quickly. And at the same time, I have to overthrow this alien ruling and get back Earth to how it was before."

"Are you sure you're strong enough?" Jackie asked, giving him support he didn't really need.

"Jackie, not even my own mother fussed over me as much as you!" the Doctor said as he buttoned up his jacket, reaching for his coat. "I feel just dandy. Let's go find Rose."

* * *

Rose suddenly felt very cold. "They wouldn't do that. They can't kill the Doctor… and even if they did he'd just regenerate…"

Jack didn't reply, leading her by the hand into a nearby tent. Straight in front of them there was a wooden desk, behind which sat the man who had taken Rose to Maggie last night – Dave. He looked up on their entry, giving Jack a grin and Rose a comforting smile.

"Dave," Jack began, moving forward and leaning on the desk. "Was there anyone apart from Rose here who was saved from the Kev run yesterday? Say, a man, tall, blue eyed…"

"No," Rose interrupted quickly. "Tall, skinny, brown-haired and brown-eyed."

Jack decided not to venture in her correction for the moment. "And probably injured," he added.

Dave shook his head almost instantly. "No… But if there was anyone, you could try the hospital; the injured would've been taken there."

Jack nodded, backing away from the desk and taking Rose's hand again. "Thanks. C'mon Rose, let's go check the hospital."

Rose nodded, letting herself be led out the tent, absorbed in her own thoughts. She was so deep in concentration that she walked into someone coming in the opposite direction, glancing up at the person in front her as they both murmured apologies.

Then did a double take.

"Rose!" the Doctor gasped.

"Doctor!" she yelped in delight, before throwing herself onto him in a huge and loving hug, almost making him fall over in surprise. He grinned, spinning her around in the air before setting her on the ground again – but still she refused to let go. Jack and Jackie watched on in joy at the happy reunion.

"I thought you were dead!" they both said at the same time, before realising what they'd done and collapsing into helpless giggles.

"I found Jack!" Rose said as she pulled back, still refusing to let go of his coat.

"I found your mother. Can we swap?"

"Oi!" Jackie said.

"You're hurt…" Rose muttered, reaching up to his forehead bruise. "The van hit you…"

"I'm fine,

"Hey Doc," Jack stepped forward, extending his hand to the Doctor. "You look good."

The Doctor looked up at Jack for the first time, before his eyes suddenly shot wide open and he pulled away from Rose, backing away from the ex-Time Agent in uncertainty. The three watched him in confusion, Rose and Jackie glancing between them. There was horror in the Doctor's eyes, fear, surprise, anger…

"Wow," Jack muttered, raising an eyebrow. "I know my looks are stunnin' but not _that_ stunnin'!"

The Doctor came to his senses at the sound of Jack's voice and rolled back his shoulders, loosening himself up. "Sorry," he muttered, running a hair through his hair. "Instinct."

"What you on about?" Jackie enquired, hands on hips. "What's wrong with 'im? He's bloody gorgeous, if you don't mind me sayin'!"

The Doctor ran his hand through his hair again. "Time Lord instinct. It's not easy, just looking at you, Jack, 'cause you're wrong."

"You know then," Jack said shortly, his eyes slightly narrowed. "Is that why you abandoned me?"

The Doctor gave one short, sharp nod.

"What's goin' on?" Rose asked, still glancing between the two men.

Jack's gaze finally dropped from the Doctor's, averting to Rose. "Rose… There's somethin' you gotta know…"

"Well let's get out the doorway first," the Doctor said lightly, still staring at Jack, his eyes riveted like they couldn't move. He took Rose's hand and pulled her out of the tent entrance, leading the group through the shantytown to a clear expanse of grass, where they sat down in a circle, and began to exchange stories.


	4. Rebel With A Cause

"When I used to go to sleep at night, what did I dream about? I'll tell you. I dreamt about my insignificant day-to-day troubles of my stupid human life that we've all had: can I pay this month's rent? Can I get that promotion at work? Will that pretty girl next door _ever_ look at me?" Mal paused for a moment, taking in the crowd of hundreds who stood before him, hanging onto his every word. "And the occasional sex dream about Natalie Imbruglia, but we'll skip over that for now…"

He got a laugh from the crowd, giving a small smile to himself before continuing.

"But now what do I dream? I dream of a better, brighter tomorrow, full of hope, love and freedom. A world where our children can grow up without fear, without restrictions. And I know, if we all bond together, we can make this happen. We can be free from these chains that the Overseers hold us in and once more claim the Earth back as humanity's home."

An almighty, deafening cheer erupted from the crowd before Mal continued.

"We are the Rebels, the anarchists of Overseer's law. So far we have rescued somewhere around a million people from the grip of the Kevs, and we will continue to forge forward, leadin' the way to liberty. We all regret the outcome of the mission yesterday, but though many of our family and friends were lost, two lives were saved from the clutches of the Kevs, and that is what we thrive on. You don't need to be smart or strong to join the Rebels, all you need is a dream of freedom, and the drive to eliminate the Overseers. If you don't share our dream, please leave now."

No one moved.

"Our next mission will take place tomorrow mornin'," Mal continued in his distinct London accent, his charismatic smile broadening. "It will one that is deeply personal to all our hearts. We have received intelligence of a children's work camp due west of here, and the mission is simple. We will save these children, and bring them back to safety." He paused again, and when he continued, his tone was one of sincerity. "It will be dangerous, but the reward is great; the satisfaction of children's lives saved from our alien enemy. If you wish to take part in this mission then please sign your name at the desks on the right. Thank you for listenin', and I will see you tomorrow!"

There was another almighty cheer as Mal stepped down off of the makeshift podium and disappeared. Instantly the desks Mal had indicated were heaving with people of all ages, races and genders, eager to help the rebel cause.

"Names?"

"The Doctor and Rose Tyler!" the Doctor raised his voice above the chaos to the man behind the desk, pen in hand. He hurriedly scribbled the names down; not really paying attention to the name the Doctor had given.

"Ah, Doctor!" a voice suddenly came from behind the desk, and the Doctor, Rose, Jack and Jackie looked up to see the very man who'd been preaching at them from the podium seconds earlier. "Oh, sorry!" he said, giving an attractive apologetic smile as he extended a hand to the Doctor. "I'm Mal, the Rebel leader!"

The Doctor grinned in return and took the proffered hand. "Nice to meet you!" he practically yelled over the masses of people, who were now almost crushing him against the desk in their eagerness to sign up. Mal laughed with a twinkle in his eye, gesturing for the Doctor and his group to follow him.

Once they were out of the ruckus and into the late night air, Mal properly introduced himself to each of them in turn, though he seemed to already know Jack.

"I carried ya back to the van," Mal said to the Doctor as the group took seats on an expanse of concrete. "Good to see ya lookin' better."

The Doctor smiled in return. "Thanks. Nice little group you got going here."

"Thanks, Doctor. That means a lot comin' from you."

The Doctor raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "You've heard of me, then?"

Mal inclined his head towards Jack, who gave an innocent smile. "He doesn't stop goin' on 'bout ya. And also I'm ex-UNIT, we're very fond of you, there."

"Really? Your Christmas present must've got lost in the post then," the Doctor replied, grinning widely.

Mal laughed, his eyes twinkling. "But seriously," he said, "now you're here, we can start gettin' down to business." He glanced around at the hundreds of people around them, a few waving to Mal every now and then as he waved back, before continuing. "They don't know it yet, but I want a little more than rescue missions. They're the small fry. I want freedom, Doctor. I wanna take these aliens down from the inside, in their own headquarters. I've got a plan, and now you can make it happen."

"Why'd you need me?"

Mal evaded the question, his sky blue eyes averting from the Doctor's. "Can I tell you?"

The Doctor nodded. Mal was suddenly drawing out multiple pieces of paper from his pockets, setting maps and lists down on the concrete in front of the Doctor. The Doctor slipped on his glasses, leaning forward and scrutinising them closely as Rose, Jack and Jackie peered with interest.

"The aliens made their headquarters at Buckingham Palace, probably 'cause they thought the royalty was one of the most important things on this planet. The royal family are safe, they're in a protected location," he added on the end as he saw the Doctor waver. "There're tons of forces 'round the world just like the Rebels here, all in hidin'. A lot more are better equipped than us – there are entire armies waitin' to attack."

"Why are they waitin'?" Rose asked.

"The aliens have protected their headquarters with an impenetrable forcefield," Mal explained, pointing out some photos he'd laid down with his finger. "They're all game for a fight but they don't want us touchin' their HQ. Their tech is way superior to ours, even if all the armies in waitin' attacked at once they wouldn't get past the forcefield. As I see it, there's only one-way to beat these creeps – we need to infiltrate their HQ and disable the forcefield from inside, then all the armies can attack at the same time and wipe out their HQ once and for all."

"Sounds like a plan," the Doctor said with a note of approval in his voice. "So, how you planning to get in their HQ?"

Mal pulled a face. "That bit I'm workin' on. But we'll get there. Here." He delved into his pocket and drew out a key and a slip of paper, handing them to the Doctor. "Take these. I got a special room with communications across the world, you'll find it useful." The Doctor shoved the paper and key into his inside jacket pocket as they all got to their feet, before Mal collected up the lists and maps from the floor. After a moment's pause he held them out for the Doctor to take. "Maybe you can find the loophole," he explained at the Doctor's bemusement upon taking them. "I'll check you later," he said, before giving a salute to the Doctor. "Sir."

The Doctor winced. "Oh, please don't."

Mal laughed. "Good luck," he said, before turning on his heel and disappearing into the darkness of the night before any of them could say a word.

* * *

By the Doctor's reckoning as a Time Lord, it had gone way past midnight. It was beginning to show too, as Rose and Jackie yawned and stretched widely, rubbing their eyes every so often as the group tried to find a place of reasonable comfort to rest for the night. So far they had failed – houses were full to bursting point, and even the scarcely available pieces of grass were all jammed full of people. The TARDIS was probably still on that street, or maybe even stolen by the Kevs or the Overseers. Either way, it was far too late to go looking for her and the Doctor could sense she wasn't close. The Rebels hadn't bought her back with them.

Rose yawned again, Jackie not far behind. "Doctor…"

"Yeah I know," he said softly, exchanging a glance with Jack. "We just need to find a place to sleep."

"Concrete looks pretty good righ' now," Rose muttered, her arms wrapped around his torso inside his coat with her head resting on his chest as they walked, seeking his body warmth in the cold air. They could only be thankful that it wasn't raining. The Doctor sighed, coming to a stop next to the ruins of what once had been a house, now just broken walls set in the concrete. There were still tens of people seeking refuge in it, but the Doctor could make out a small space big enough for four people in amongst the debris.

"Okay, this'll have to do," the Doctor said as they all nodded, even Jackie too tired to make an argument about the discomfort of sleeping on concrete under no shelter. He started to walk forward…

Suddenly an arm grabbed him from behind, wrenching him roughly out of Rose's grip. He cried out in alarm before a dirty hand clamped over his mouth, something cold and sharp resting against his throat.

"Doctor!" he heard Rose cry as the attacker continued to drag him backwards until he was standing at least five metres from his friends in the grip of an unknown attacker.

"Scream and he dies!" a male voice grated, the cold something pressing a little harder into the Doctor's neck. "I want your food! All of it! Or I will kill him!"

The Doctor tried to speak, but the hand still over his mouth clamped harder, the knife at his throat now perilously close to cutting the skin…

"We don't 'ave any food!" Jackie said in a panicked frenzy, her eyes wide in alarm at the situation in front of her. "Let 'im go!"

"You're _lying!"_ the man hissed. "Give me all your food or I will slit his throat!"

Rose's eyes connected with the Doctor's, reassured to find they looked perfectly calm, almost bored. Jack made to step forward to handle it but she quickly rested a hand on his chest, holding him back as she stepped forward, much to the man's shock.

"We don't have any food," she explained, truthfully. "Sorry but you're askin' the wrong people."

"I'll kill him!" the man threatened, "don't take another step!"

"I don't think you will. You couldn't kill another man." She stepped forward, suppressing a yawn as he visibly flinched, though the knife didn't move. "In fact, I _know_ you couldn't. So why don't you put down that knife? 'Cause you're terrified of it."

The man stared at her in confusion, but all the same, he pulled the knife away from the Doctor's neck and dropped it on the floor, releasing the Time Lord back to his friends. Rose smiled at him with her tongue between her teeth and he grinned back, taking her tired body into a hug of praise for her actions.

"Please," the man suddenly said and the Doctor and Rose turned back to him, feeling slightly sorry for him and what he'd been forced to do. "I'm sorry, but my daughter, she's dying, we've got no food… You look clean, I thought you'd have some…"

"There's a soup kitchen," Jackie suddenly said, managing to calm herself down from what had just happened – clearly she was not as adapted to the dangerous lifestyle as Jack, Rose and the Doctor.

Jack nodded, continuing, "it's a couple of miles north, in the Green Zone. They'll give you food, any time of day."

The relief on the man's face was so big it was indescribable. He looked at them all with gratitude beyond measure, his eyes shining with a renewed hope. "Thank you!" he gasped, turning on his heel and running off down the street.

The Doctor drew a breath in through gritted teeth, automatically scratching behind his left ear. "This is even more serious than I thought…" he trailed off, glancing around at his group. "We've got a planet to save…" He looked at Rose and Jackie in turn, observing the severe symptoms of fatigue setting in once more now the excitement was over. "… But first, we sleep."

The Doctor removed his coat, dropping to sit down against the wall with his legs outstretched. He gestured for Rose to lay down on him. She hesitated for a moment, but was far too exhausted to protest. She dropped down to lay against him and rested her head against his chest as he threw his coat over her, wrapping his arms around her body protectively.

"Thanks," she mumbled into his chest, closing her eyes to sleep.

Jack grinned at the sight of the Doctor and Rose, before Jackie suddenly prodded him in the shoulder and he turned to find her tired, but flirtatious smile.

"I need a mattress too!" she said.


	5. Of Murders and Men

"Cold porridge," the Doctor muttered, staring at the bowl in front of him with an unused spoon clutched in his right-hand. "Cold, sludge-like porridge. This could kill someone!"

"Don't eat it then, you ungrateful alien," Jackie said before scooping up her own porridge and swallowing it. "Give it to someone more needy."

"Maybe I will," the Doctor replied airily, dropping the spoon and making to get up but he quickly felt Rose's hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down.

"Eat it, Doctor," she said firmly.

The Doctor sighed in resignation, dropping heavily back down onto the bench and picking up his spoon before reluctantly scooping up some of the porridge and forcing it into his mouth. He moved his jaw slowly, eyes screwing up in distaste before he finally swallowed, as though it were the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life. Jack watched the entire scene in amusement, having given his own serving to another person. Eating was nice, but only a creature comfort to him. He could go for weeks, sometimes months without the need for the basics of food, water and sleep. Strictly speaking the Doctor could go around a week without food, but he did get incredibly tetchy, and a tetchy Time Lord was the last thing they needed right now.

Five minutes later Jackie and Rose had finished their servings, but the Doctor was only halfway through his. Jackie dutifully smacked him around the head. He yelped. "You're gonna be late for the Rebel mission!" she scolded. He quickly resumed eating as Rose and Jack sniggered.

The Doctor finished his porridge and the four got up from the woodworm-eaten bench, moving out of the Soup Kitchen and heading towards the Rebel headquarters, laughing and joking all the way.

When they got there however, they found the entire Rebel headquarters in an uproar. People were running around in a frenzy, crying and screaming in anger and despair.

"Jack!" a voice suddenly called from within the throng of people to the right and the four turned to find a distressed-looking Dave pushing through the hysterical crowd. He reached them, tears awash in his eyes. "What the hell are we gonna do?"

"What's happened?" Jack asked, steadying the man as he stumbled into him. Dave ineffectually wiped his eyes dry from the flood of tears. Rose found the situation incredibly surreal – _he_ had been _her_ voice of calm in the chaos, and now here he was, panic-stricken and tearful.

"It's Mal!" he cried, practically supporting himself on Jack. "He's dead!"

Jack stiffened, his eyes averting to the Doctor's. The Doctor was staring at Dave, disbelief etched on his face. Rose and Jackie were looking at Dave as if he'd gone insane.

"Wh-what?" Jackie stammered. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm fucking sure!" he gasped, all courtesy flying out of the window. "He's dead!"

After a moment's pause the Doctor moved forward, resting his hands on the man's shoulders and looking straight into his eyes. "Okay, calm down. Clear your head for me. Breathe deep."

Dave stared at the Doctor for a moment, struggling to calm himself down. Eventually he managed to get his breathing into a steady rhythm, closing his eyes and gathering his wits together. When he opened them, they were much clearer.

"Can you show me the body?" the Doctor said gently. Dave nodded, pulling away from Jack and shrugging back his shoulders, attempting a bit of bravado. He led them back through the still out-of-control crowd, pushing his way like a man on a mission. Eventually they reached what must have been Mal's tent, managing to break through the clamouring crowd with a cry of authority until they got inside.

Across the eerily silent room Mal laid in his makeshift bed as if in sleep, though the grey colour of his skin was enough to tell them he was dead. The Doctor moved forward, kneeling down next to the body and resting his fingers on Mal's neck – not that he expected to find anything. He checked the man's open eyes, but they were white. He looked over the body for external injury – a gunshot or knife wound… but he was clean. The Doctor slipped his hand inside his jacket and brought out the sonic screwdriver, giving Mal's body a quick buzz. His worst fears were confirmed.

"He was poisoned," the Doctor muttered. Everyone in the room gasped in shock. "Deadly compound; probably slipped in his drink… or porridge." He paused as the irony of what he'd said earlier hit him. "He would've had about eighteen hours before it killed him." He looked up at the four standing behind him, their eyes wide in horror as they clocked what that meant.

"He was dyin' when he talked to us last night," Rose whispered. It was strange, even though they'd known him for less than a day, he seemed like a good friend to them all.

"We have an assassin in our midst," the Doctor muttered. "With their job done, no doubt they've scarpered."

He slowly put his hand in his pocket and drew out the slip of paper and the key Mal had given him but nine hours previously. He opened the paper, and for the first time read the handwritten letter.

 _Doctor,_

 _When you read this, I'll probably be dead. By the time I realised my food had been laced with poison it was far too late to do anything. But to be honest, I'd have been a bit stupid not to expect something like this! I'm writing this prior to talking on stage. I can't tell them. They'll find out in the morning, as will you. Even you can't get me out of this one, and I don't want you to worry. But I'm not bitter – I've had a great life, and now I can die knowing that my dream_ can _become reality, now that you're here. Only_ you _can and could ever beat these aliens and make Earth how it was… I know you'll make it happen. I've told you everything I know, given you what I can, but now it's up to you. Sorry to put the pressure right on you and everything, but I guess you're used to it by now!_

 _Good luck._

 _Mal._

The Doctor looked up from the letter his eyes shining. He folded it up with care and put it back in his jacket pocket, gazing at the lifeless body of Mal lying before him. He heard approaching footsteps from behind him and Rose slipped into vision, kneeling down next to him quietly. For a silent moment they both just stared at Mal, before Rose finally leant forward and drew down his eyelids, pulling the cover over his head. The Doctor turned his head to look at her as she looked at him, slipping her hand into his.

"Allons-y," she said. He raised a smile, before they got to their feet, hands still laced together as they turned to face Jack, Jackie and Dave.

"Okay," the Doctor said, launching into Doctor-mode. "Dave, whatever Mal had sorted for today, I want you to make sure that still happens. This mission is taking place regardless of who is in charge. It's what Mal would have wanted and it's what I will do." Dave nodded, and ran out of the tent. The Doctor turned to Jack. "Take me to the podium. I've got a little speech of my own to make."

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen," the Doctor began, his voice booming out over the still frantic crowds. "May I please have your attention!"

Everyone suddenly stopped in surprise at the sound of a voice of authority, looking up at the tall thin man standing at the podium, struggling to be heard. The crowd quietened within moments.

"Thank you. First of all, if any of you are still in doubt or denial, I have checked the body for myself. I'm sorry, so sorry, but Mal is dead…"

The crowd instantly resumed their uproar.

The Doctor held up a hand. "However!" he began loudly, and the crowd once again quietened. "Mal had a dream, and great dream, a _fantastic_ dream, and I am going to make sure this mission takes place in honour of his memory."

"But we can't do it without Mal!" a woman's voice cried, and there were shouts of agreement.

The Doctor continued, "there are children that need saving out there, and I know for one that Mal wouldn't want us all to give up just because of his death. We fight together as a team, as the Rebels, because that's what Mal intended. He didn't want us to give up if he died; he wanted us to fight on, and this mission _will_ take place."

"But Mal was our only hope!" a man called from the back. The Doctor closed his eyes, taking in a breath.

"If you still have the dream, the dream of freedom within your head… Then don't let Mal's death be for nothing. Don't let what he's created here just become yet _another_ dream. Stand up, fight for what is right. Prove to yourself you have what it takes to save the world. If you still share Mal's dream, then come with us on this mission. We meet at the original rendezvous in five minutes. As for everyone who chooses not to come…" He paused, regarding them with heavy eyes. "Don't rely on others to fix your problems. That day will come when you're on your own, and I hope that by then you are strong enough to handle it. Thank you."

* * *

Twelve people met them at the rendezvous point, Dave and the transport pilot included. The Doctor, Rose and Jack greeted each of them in turn warmly like old friends.

"So what transport have we got?" Jack asked Dave as he led them across the concrete, and around the corner to reveal…

"Helicopter!" Dave boomed, throwing out his arms dramatically at the sight. The helicopter was slightly wrong but still looked fairly pristine and well-kept compared to most of the other things in the camp. It was fairly large too – probably designed for taking soldiers out to the frontlines.

"Impressive!" the Doctor said, giving a smile.

"We originally had more, but all the pilots have gone AWOL," Dave explained, a grim expression etched on his face.

"Their choice," the Doctor said shortly, gesturing for the others to start boarding the helicopter. He watched as Rose gave Jackie a farewell hug – she wasn't going to come on the mission with them. Too old, she had said. Not up to all the running. Rose parted from her mother, running up to board the helicopter with Jack pulling her up. The Doctor made to follow into the helicopter, but someone suddenly took hold of his arm, pulling him back.

"Doctor." It was Jackie. "Look after Rose."

"You know I will," the Doctor said with a reassuring smile.

"And look after yourself, too," she said. "If Rose lost you…" she trailed off, not really needing to finish her sentence. He gave a single, sharp nod, and then made his way over to the helicopter, clambering in with the aid of Jack. As the blade span and the wind picked up, Jackie Tyler gave one last wave before they lifted off, and disappeared off into the distance.


	6. Miss World Beauty Pageant

"Okay, the time is…" Dave checked his watch. "9:38am. The children will at this time be on their first break, confined to their bunkhouses, all of which will be locked. Break ends at 10:00am. The guards will also be taking a break and not paying attention to anything around them – this is our opportunity. We break into the camp, break into the bunkhouses and guide the children _quietly_ back out the front door. We get back in the helicopter and fly away back to the refugee camp. The guards won't know what's hit them!"

Dave next got out a map from his pocket and laid it out on the floor, smoothing out the creases as everyone leant in to look.

"We will land a sufficient distance from the camp to keep our volume low. There are three blocks. The guards live in Block One, Block Two is supplies, and Block Three is the children's sleeping bunkhouses. It's a relatively small camp; there are five bunkhouses in total, registers say fifty-three children work here. Megs, Jack, you'll be in charge of getting the kids out of Bunkhouse One." He pointed it out on the map. "Lee, George, Bunkhouse Two; Abi, Gemma, Bunkhouse Three; me and Callum will deal with Bunkhouse Four; Doctor, Rose, you're on Bunkhouse Five. Lottie, Zoë, Rory, you stay here and help load the children on the helicopter. We clear?"

He got a crowd of nods back at him.

"Okay, we're about to land," Dave continued, giving a glance at Pilot John and co-pilot Luke, both of who nodded back. "Any words, Doctor?"

The Doctor looked surprised at being asked. "Oh. Well, I don't know how much you all know about the Nazi work camps, but I went to a couple and…" He paused for moment. "Expect the worst. There are going to be shocking sights. Don't let your grief get in the way of the rescue – you'll help no one but the Kevs. Wait until everyone is safe in this helicopter, and then you can grieve." There was a jolt as the helicopter landed. "Good luck everyone."

"Move out!"

* * *

"You've been to Nazi work camps?" Rose wondered in a whisper to the Doctor as they made their way across the terrain towards the chain link electrified fence surrounded the work camp, checking for watchful eyes every step of the way.

"Yeah. Tried to save as many as I could." They reached a door in the chainlink fence, which the Doctor buzzed with the sonic until the heavy padlock clicked and fell to the floor with a dull thud.

Rose frowned. "Is there anythin' you haven't done?"

He paused for a moment, lips pursed in deep thought as he slipped his sonic screwdriver back into his inner jacket pocket. "I haven't won the Miss World Beauty Pageant…" He paused again, thought some more. "Oh… wait…"

Rose smiled and rolled her eyes as the Doctor kicked open the electrified gate with rubber soled shoes. He checked the clearing before beckoning in the others behind them. They filtered in like water breaking a bank, silently moving across the open ground to the buildings placed in uniformity in a line. Silently the Doctor lead Rose over to one with a giant **5** printed on the side in white paint. They approached the door, the Doctor reaching into his pocket again and drawing the sonic out, pressing it against the padlock. There was a click and the Doctor slipped it into his pocket, giving a glance at Rose, who nodded before he pushed open the door.

Light from behind them streamed in the door, partly illuminating the pitch black, silent interior. It took Rose's eyes a moment to adjust to the light, but then she could see ten pairs of eyes staring at her in apprehension. There were no mattresses or beds of any kind, just hardboard floor and a several off-coloured blankets of various shapes and sizes scattered around the room, children hiding beneath them like they thought they would offer protection.

"Hello," the Doctor said softly with a smile, dropping to his haunches. Rose did the same, all the time her eyes flickering around the room uncomfortably. She put a smile on her face, despite the obvious mistreatment of these children. "We've come to take you away from this place to somewhere safe."

He got no reply as the children stared at him and Rose for a moment, before their eyes averted to the corner of the room, and suddenly a boy stepped out, possibly no more than fourteen-years-old but quite obviously matured far beyond his years from the experience he had gone through. His ragged clothes hung loosely on his frame, obviously underfed and overworked. He was filthy – probably not having washed for a very long time, his face thin and slightly pale. By the way the other, younger children were looking at him, it was clear he was the leader by right of age. His narrowed eyes focused on the Doctor and Rose with his arms folded.

"And why should we trust you?" he demanded. "You're adults."

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked, getting to his full height and stepping forward towards the boy. The boy suddenly flinched, as if afraid the Doctor was going to strike him. Realising he had shown weakness he quickly made it look like he'd shrugged, eyes still riveted to the Doctor's.

"Alex," he said, trying to sound strong and important.

The Doctor gave him a reassuring smile, slowly extending his hand to the boy and waggling his fingers. "I'm the Doctor, and this is my friend, Rose." He gestured to her in turn. Alex looked over at Rose again, apparently terrified but still trying to put himself above them. Rose broadened her smile at him. He looked away, blushing.

The Doctor continued, his hand still outstretched, waiting to be shaken. "We're with the Rebels… Have you heard of them?"

Alex paused, before shaking his head slightly as his eyes reconnected with the Doctor's.

"We're the good guys, I promise." The Doctor made sure he made no sudden movements. He was well aware the fear these children had of adults since they'd been snatched away from their loving parents to be put in this hell hole. He and Rose were the enemies. These children half expected them to start hitting them any moment… "We save people from the Kevs, they're the people who are holding you here. We have a helicopter waiting just across the field out there. Isn't that right, Rose?"

She nodded. "And we're gettin' all the other children that are here to. There's a refugee camp about twenty minutes away."

Alex's expression quickly changed to one of pure hope. "Really?"

"Really and truly!" Rose said, reinforcing her smile.

"Do you have food?"

Rose nodded.

"Beds?"

Rose nodded. The Doctor grimaced. "We don't have any PS3s or Xbox's yet, but I'm sure that's being worked on."

Alex stared at them with an expression of wonder and bewilderment, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Okay!" He took the Doctor's still outstretched hand and shook it firmly. "I trust you."

The Doctor grinned. "Right…" he dropped to his haunches again, Rose following once more. He addressed the children, now slightly more receptive to him and Rose due to Alex's approval. "We're going to play a game. It's called 'Quiet As Mice'. You have to be very, very quiet, the first one to make a loud sound loses the game, okay?"

All the children nodded furiously back at him, some of them with gleeful expressions on their faces at the thought of playing a game.

"You have to walk like this…" Rose got to her feet, sticking her arms up like a raptor and demonstrating a tiptoe walk. The children giggled. "Follow me, okay? And no one makes a sound, or you lose, startin' now!"

All the children instantly snapped their mouths shut, giggling quietly as they looked around at each other with their lips pressed together. The Doctor nodded at Rose, before she gave a thumbs up and began her raptor walk, leading the trail of children copying her movements out the door. The Doctor and Alex followed on out into the clearing.

"Anyone missing?" the Doctor asked the boy. Alex did a quick head count. Then frowned, and did another. Suddenly he was panicking.

"One… One's missing… and it's…" he paused, scouring the crowd of children. "Jenna."

"Right, you follow on, check they get back safely, I'll go get Jenna."

He nodded and disappeared after the crowd. The Doctor backtracked to the bunkhouse, slipping inside the door and scanning around the room for anyone that had been left behind.

"Jenna?" he whispered into the dark. His keen hearing picked up the shaky, terrified breathing in the corner of the dark room. "Jenna," he repeated softly, looking at the heap of blankets in the corner. He knew where she was now. It was just a matter of getting her to come with him. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking around the room like he had no idea where she was.

"Is this hide and seek? I love hide and seek! I pick all the best spots! Though once I hid as a rug… didn't work… Let's just say the seeker 'walked all over me'… Quite literally! And that's not a good thing. Especially when the seeker's wearing heels. Ow."

He heard a tiny giggle.

"You know, it took her twenty minutes to find me. But she walked over me forty times… Sometimes I think she was just pretending _not_ to have seen me so she could cause me pain!"

The giggle came again.

"Ah! I hear you!" the Doctor said, slowly moving over to the pile of blankets in the corner but pretending to search everywhere else. "Where can Jenna be…?"

The giggle came again as he reached out to the blankets and pulled them down slowly to reveal a small blond girl, just a toddler, looking at him and laughing. He grinned back.

"Found you!" he exclaimed. "I'm the Doctor, and you're Jenna!"

"Doddor," she repeated.

"Close enough!" he said, smiling. "Come on, all your friends have gone to play, don't wanna get left behind, do you?"

She shook her head, offering her arms up to be taken. He lifted her up, holding her in his arms as she snuggled against him, seeking protection. He moved back out into the yard, seeing a gathering of Rebels outside Bunkhouse Three, crowds of children making their way to the open gate towards the helicopter. The Doctor moved over to the Rebels.

"Head count?"

"We got forty-three altogether," Jack informed him. "You've got ten?"

The Doctor nodded, opening his mouth to reply when suddenly there was the yell of an adult male… coming from the direction of Block One. Everyone froze, paling to white. The guards were onto them…

"Run," the Doctor said quickly, holding out Jenna for Jack to take. Tears sprung to Jenna's eyes.

"Dodda," she said, reaching out to him as Jack took her in both arms.

"Jenna, this is my friend Jack, he'll look after you okay?" the Doctor said quickly, gesturing for the other Rebels to run. "Get the children to the helicopter, I'll distract them," he hissed, before running off across the sun-baked mud to the gate between Block One and Block Three he'd seen marked on the map.

About a dozen Kevs were running towards him, guns raised, fingers on triggers…

The Doctor cautiously but quickly put his arms in the air, placing himself strategically in the gateway so it was impossible for them to pass. "Hello, who was your favourite Bond, then?"

The Kevs suddenly stopped in surprise, thrown by his sudden statement of complete and utter randomness. He took the opportunity, giving a disarming grin.

"Mine? Roger Moore! Though they say it's always the ones you grow up with, don't they? I was 747 when I first saw him. Hmm. I'm 902 now. Is that worrying? Burned through six regenerations in less than 200 years…"

The Kev at the front of the dozen held up their gun, pointing it at his head. "Stand aside, civilian, or I will shoot you!" a voice said from beneath the black helmet. It was a woman.

"Oh sorry, am I in your way?" the Doctor asked, looking surprised. "I didn't realise I was in your way! I'm so sorry I'm in your way!"

"Move!"

"I'll get out of your way then, shall I?" he said, not moving. "Is that the best course of action? Seeing as I'm in your way? Should I move? I'm really sorry about being in your way. This is really quite embarrassing."

Her finger went to tighten on the trigger…

"Kevs!" the Doctor suddenly yelled, startling them once more. "That's your nickname. But I don't know your real names." Suddenly his voice dropped an octave lower, his eyes darkening, "I don't think any of you know each others' names either. I'm not surprised. What you're doing here is _wrong._ These children are starving to death and overworked – this is torture. How can you do this and live with yourselves?"

They all stilled, the woman at the front's gun lowering slightly.

"It's why you wear the black faceguards… so no one will see your faces, for the _shame._ It sickens me. Why do you do this? What possible reason do you have to do this to these defenceless children?"

They all remained silent. The Doctor lowered his hands, folding his arms.

"Which is why we had to do this. I hope that you will reflect on what you've done with sincerity, and maybe you'll make the right decision." He paused, letting it sink in… before he suddenly grinned. "Bye!" he exclaimed, slamming the gate shut and buzzing it with the sonic. The sound of guns being fired erupted as he bolted off faster than they could blink.

He got to the helicopter, helped up by Jack and Rose. "Head count!" he demanded.

"Ten here!"

"Nine!"

"Eleven!"

"Thirteen!"

The Doctor checked his own Bunkhouse Five group. "Nine…" he muttered, checking again. "One missing!"

Instantly he knew who it was.

"Jenna!" the Doctor realised, eyes wide in horror. Before anyone could stop him he had jumped off of the lifting helicopter and was already running back to the work camp.

"Doctor, no!" Jack shouted, but they were already taking off. Jack span back around to the pilot, almost screaming for him to go back down.

"They'll kill him! It's him or the kids! He ain't got a chance!" was the response, and after a few seconds to cool down, Jack had to concede. The Doctor had just effectively committed suicide…

* * *

The Doctor ran back across the clearing, pleased to find the Kevs still seemed to be stuck behind the gate. He ran into Bunkhouse Five, finding the little blonde girl kneeling on the floor, seemingly trying to pull a floorboard up.

"Jenna!" he hissed. "No time for Hide and Seek now, we've got to go!"

"Teddy," she said, looking up at the Doctor with tears in her eyes. "Doddor. Teddy."

He moved forward and dropped beside her, pulling at the floorboard she was. It came away easily to reveal a small, worn brown bear hidden in a compartment. He pulled it out and held it to her. She took it, hugging it tightly.

"Teddy," she repeated looking up at him with a happy smile. "Boobear."

"C'mon Jenna, we have to go." He picked her up in both arms again, running out the doorway…

And came face-to-face with the Kevs.

"At arms!" the woman yelled, and all twelve of them raised their rifles to point at the Doctor and Jenna.

"Wait!" the Doctor yelled, but this time they completely ignored him. They were a firing squad, preparing for the execution…

"Steady…" the woman commanded.

The Doctor began to panic… he was utterly surrounded with every gun trained on him… "Please!" he said, holding Jenna closer to him. "You can kill me, but let the child go."

She seemed to ignore him. "Aim…"

"Let her go!" he thundered, his expression one of pure malice.

"FIRE!" she screamed.


	7. The Plight Of Boobear

The moment the woman had screamed the word of execution, everything instantaneously and quite unexpectedly exploded in a torrent of flames. Instinctively the Doctor turned to protect Jenna with his body, and the next thing he knew he was lying on the floor feeling slightly singed, a hysterical child screaming at him to wake up.

"Doddor!" Jenna wailed, shaking his shoulder desperately. "Doddor! No sleep now!"

"Ugh…" he groaned, eyes flickering open to find tears rolling down Jenna's face. "Jenna, it's okay, I'm okay…" He pushed himself up precariously, looking around to find the Kevs also lying on the floor, just rising to consciousness.

"Doctor!" a voice called from above and the Doctor looked up to find the helicopter hovering several metres above, the faces of Jack and Rose sticking out. Had they caused the explosion? "The coast! Over there!" Jack pointed over to the right.

The Doctor nodded, pushing himself to his feet with a little effort. He blinked, managing to focus his vision and regain his sense of balance before he picked Jenna up and ran in the direction Jack had pointed, skipping over the stunned bodies of the Kevs towards the barricading fence. He quickly buzzed it open with the sonic and slid through before slamming it shut, locking it back up again. The Kevs were beginning to get up, and they were looking distinctly in his direction…

He began to run up the path, following the helicopter hovering above his head. Mud was flying everywhere from the power of the downdraft, getting in his hair, eyes, ears, even up his nose and into his mouth. He kept on running, following the helicopter until they reached the very top of the cliff, right on the edge. In front of him the helicopter hovered around three metres away across an abyss – he couldn't jump that, especially holding Jenna.

"Closer!" he yelled, gesturing frantically to Jack and Rose standing in the door. He glanced back down to the gate he'd locked, panicked to find the Kevs making short work of breaking through.

He looked back, but Jack was shaking his head.

"We can't get any closer! You're gonna have to jump!"

The Doctor bit his lip, glancing back down at the Kevs. They were almost through, and they wouldn't hesitate to kill him and Jenna the moment they had them in their sights. He then look down the cliff edge, vertigo hitting him like a speeding train at the sight of the distance of the water below. He made a snap decision.

"Jenna," he said quickly, dropping to one knee and setting her down on the ground. "Jump onto my back, okay?" She did so, letting the Doctor take her teddy and slip it inside his coat pocket for safekeeping. "Hold on tight, don't let go!"

He began to step back, preparing himself for a running jump towards the helicopter. The sound of a gate crashing open rang out shortly before the burst of deafening bullets chasing him up the hill. There was no going back now. He took a breath, began to run… and launched off of the ground, the ledge crumbling to dust beneath his foot as he threw himself up in the air, the helicopter getting closer… and closer… and closer…

He realised he wasn't going to make the jump. He was falling short, down the massive drop towards the ocean… He flung out his hands and searched for something, _anything_ to grip. He felt his hands hit something cold, and he gripped. He automatically glanced down, felt nauseous, and snapped his head back up again. Superior Time Lord body or not, that was a serious and lethal distance to fall.

"Jenna!" he yelled, his arms aching with the effort of hanging on with the dead weight on his back. "Don't look down! Look up at Jack and Rose!"

Then came the sound of rapid gunfire from behind him, bullets ricocheting off of the metal mere inches from his hands. "Jenna! Are you all right?

"Doddor!" she wailed, inches from his ear. More bullets came from behind them, but now they were more distant. The helicopter was lifting away.

"Don't let go!" he yelled once more, and then suddenly pain _exploded_ from his right shoulder as he bodily jerked in shock of impact. Without even looking, he knew he'd been shot. He cried out in utter agony, His right arm automatically losing its grip and dangling bleeding by his side. He hung by one arm from the landing skid of the helicopter, that arm now feeling as though it was going to rip off from the strain.

"Doctor!" came a voice from above, desperate.

"I can't… Hold on…" he gasped, clinging onto consciousness.

The weight off his back then disappeared. Fear suddenly gripped him as the thought she had fallen flashed through his head, but quickly it was dissipated as Jack's voice called to him once again.

"We've got Jenna!" he called, "hold on!"

He was fast losing consciousness as his vision swerved and danced before him, merging into indistinct shapes of the colours that made it up. All he could think about was the pain coursing through his wounded shoulder – it was _burning..._ – and just how so very tired he felt. He wanted to close his eyes and drift off to sleep, where pain was nonexistent… but something was forcing him to cling onto the tiny remnants of consciousness floating in his head, in the void of blackness. He heard himself cry out as it became increasingly more and more difficult to remain coherent.

Something grabbed the back of his jacket and suddenly he was being lifted up, his aching left arm able to relax and rest. More bullets came pouring towards them but he was beyond caring as he concentrated only on fumbling clumsily for the person lifting him up, managing to grip a broad shoulder of one Captain Jack Harkness.

"Come on!" Rose yelled frantically, helping Jack as he pulled on the Doctor. With a final tug Jack hauled the Doctor over the threshold and all three friends went down in a heap. Someone slammed the door shut behind them, and within seconds Jack took hold of the Doctor sprawled on the floor, a small hole visible in his coat covering his shoulder. Rose quickly got up to help, assisting Jack in slipping off the coat and jacket from his right arm to reveal the blossom of red blood over the fabric of his shirt. Endorphins finally flooded the Doctor's system and he became numb to the pain. One of the Rebels was quick to hand them the first aid kit and Jack hastily wrapped the wound up to stop the bleeding before they were finally able to collapse back onto the floor and gasp for air, the adrenaline of the moment beginning to seep and fade away.

For a moment there was just a stunned silence… And then the Doctor began to laugh. It seemed crazy in the moment, but for some reason, Rose and Jack found themselves laughing too. Together they held onto each other in a three-way group hug, laughing and smiling and embracing each other tight. The other occupants of the helicopter stared on in bemusement at the sight as they all flew back to the refugee camp, all safe and alive.

* * *

"Ow!" the Doctor yelped as Jack accidentally knocked his injured shoulder with his arm whilst he peeled off the bandages.

"Sorry," Jack said, not sounding sorry at all.

They were back in the refugee camp in the hospital tent, Jack making the wound clean for Kate to access as the Doctor leaned on Rose, his chin resting on her shoulder. Jackie watched on with the highest amusement.

"Stop moaning!" she scolded. "It's your own fault!"

The Doctor grunted. Rose absently rubbed her hand up and down his back supportively, her mind elsewhere.

"Anything I should know about your physiology?" Kate asked as she walked over to the four, holding a tray of various medical instruments.

"I should write a pamphlet," the Doctor muttered, loud enough for only Rose to hear. She giggled. "Just extract the bullet, clean the wound and bandage it up."

"Right." Kate nodded, getting to work. Rose watched as Kate took a pair of tweezers and inserted it into the hole in the Doctor's shoulder, the Doctor shuddering, his fists clenching onto her shirt. Kate continued to rummage around, looking for the prize within. Blood dribbled out of the hole and Rose held him a little tighter to her – even Jackie looked concerned.

"Doctor?" a voice came and the Doctor turned his head to see a group of very nervous-looking people standing near him and twitching their thumbs, staring at the sight before them.

"Morning," the Doctor greeted cheerily, before he grunted again as Kate dug deeper into his shoulder.

"We just wanted to say sorry," the apparent 'leader' of the group said, looking very nervous indeed. "For um… not coming with you."

"Your decision," the Doctor said shortly before a gasp escaped his lips, jolting in Rose's grip. The entire crowd of spectators winced.

"Found it," Kate informed them all, pulling the tweezers back out excruciatingly slowly.

"We just wanted to say," the leader of the crowd continued, eyes fixed to the floor as he was too ashamed to look the Doctor in the eye. "We'd like you to become the Rebel leader, in place of Mal."

The Doctor cried out again as the end of the tweezers slid out in a gush of fresh blood to reveal a small, metal, blood-coated pellet in its grip. She dropped it into the tray she'd brought before proceeding to clean the wound, working fast, but strategically.

"Sure, why not," the Doctor said once he'd manage to ride the tide of pain. The crowd continued to watch, almost mesmerised by the sight.

"Sorry guys, but this ain't a show," Jack suddenly said, stepping in front of the group with his arms folded.

There were indistinct mumbles of continued apologies as slowly the group dispersed and left the hospital tent. Kate finished up bandaging, the Doctor pulling away from Rose and thanking Kate. He flexed his arm, not surprised to find the lingering agony at the slightest twitch of any of his muscles. He made to get to his feet to leave the hospital tent, however, the moment he tried to stand up both Jackie and Kate were a barricade in front of him, both staring at him with eyes of death.

"Get into bed," Jackie commanded.

"But I'm fine," the Doctor insisted, looking to Jack and Rose for support but distraught to find them also standing staring at him, feet tapping expectantly. "I'll just be taking up space…"

Before Jackie could launch into a full-blown hysterical fit, another few figures advanced towards them, a man, a woman, and a child – but this time the Doctor recognised one of them.

"Jenna!" he exclaimed, a broad smile spreading onto his face as he suddenly forgot the rest of the world. She squeaked at the sight of him, reaching out with both arms from the grip of a tall, slim man. The man smiled, obediently putting her down before she ran towards the Doctor and threw her arms around his leg.

"Doddor," she said as he knelt down and put his uninjured arm around her, holding her close.

"Dave told us what happened," came an unknown voice from above and the Doctor looked up to find the man looking down at him, a big, happy smile across his face. "We just had to come and say thank you for saving our little girl."

"Believe me, the pleasure was all mine," the Doctor replied with a grin as Jenna drew back and looked intently at his shoulder.

"Doddor got booboo?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

He nodded. "But I'll get better."

"Promise?" Jenna asked, hands clutched in front of her as she rocked from side to side.

"Promise," he affirmed, grinning.

"You need nap time," Jenna said shortly, pointing directly at the bed he'd just stood up from. Everyone sniggered.

"Jenna, really, I'm fine, I…" but Jenna had already grabbed his undamaged arm and was pulling him back over to the bed.

"Sleep, now!" Jenna demanded, and the Doctor had no choice but to climb under the sheets and draw them up over his bare chest.

"Beaten by a two-year-old," Jack commented, resisting the temptation to laugh. "I hope the Daleks are watchin' and learnin' new tactics!"

Jenna smiled and hugged the Doctor again. "Nap now," she said, kissing his forehead like a caring mother.

"This is really humiliating," the Doctor said, but still couldn't resist the temptation to laugh as Jenna giggled, reaching up to her father once more who took her obediently into his arms.

"Thank you again," Jenna's mother said, the biggest smile the Doctor had seen since they'd landed spread across her face. Then he thought of something.

"Oh!" He reached over to his coat and drew the teddy that had caused all the trouble from his coat pocket, holding it out to Jenna. "This belongs to you!"

But Jenna was shaking her head. "You keep."

The Doctor looked aghast. "I couldn't take Boobear!"

"She safe with you!" Jenna insisted, shaking her head. "Take!"

The Doctor quickly realised he had no choice as Jenna gave him a hard stare. "Okay, okay. I'll look after her."

"Promise?" Jenna asked again, her stare hard and unrelenting.

He nodded quickly. "Promise!"

"Bye bye Doddor," Jenna said, giving a farewell wave. Jack, Jackie, Rose and the Doctor all waved back to the girl they'd probably never see again. It saddened them, the Doctor in particular, but he kept a smile on his face as her parents carried little Jenna out of the hospital tent and into the chaos of the unknown world outside.

For a moment the Doctor just stared at the battered bear in his hands.

"I have to sort this out," he suddenly said, feeling Rose coming to sit down next to him. "I have to stop this needless suffering."

"But first," Rose began, adjusting his pillows. "I think Jenna had the right idea. Get some sleep."

"Do you need anythin', sweetheart?" Jackie asked, eager to help.

"Nice bowl of porridge?" Jack inputted, grinning from ear-to-ear.

The Doctor shook his head very quickly indeed. "No. Thanks." He slipped down beneath the sheets and let sleep take him, dreaming of a brighter, better future, where the human race was free.


	8. Preference For Blondes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit, I can't speak Brazillian Portuguese... But I know what thank you, is! Obrigada! So we should all say obrigada to PKarma42 for her fandooby translation. Obrigada!

Later that evening the Doctor woke up, and as much as Jackie would have him resting they simply couldn't hold him down any longer. Rose helped him get dressed, trying not to blush at his lightly furred chest or impeccable pecs. The blood on his shirt had since dried, and the Doctor waggled a finger through the now very apparent small round hole where the bullet had entered.

"Another shirt ruined," he had said, and then proceeded to get even more emotional at his jacket and coat in turn.

The Doctor, Rose, Jack and Jackie now strode down the paths of the refugee camp, heading towards Mal's tent. The Doctor's arm was now in a sling underneath his coat, plainly visible to passer-bys who smiled at them broadly, a couple even ran up to hug and kiss them in pure gratitude. They had all seemed to have become celebrities since the rescue mission; by the time they reached Mal's tent there was a crowd of people following them, chanting their names like they were heroes. Perhaps they were.

They entered Mal's tent, pleased to find Mal's body had been removed. Never mind the stench, not one of them would be able to concentrate knowing he was lying there, dead to the world.

The Doctor glanced around the tent, his left hand reaching into his coat pocket and rummaging around, until he brought out the key Mal had left him. He looked pointedly around again, the other three taking the hint as they began to scour the room for an appropriate keyhole for it to fit into.

"Here," Rose announced after a few minutes, holding back a flap of material to reveal a worn wooden door leading the way into a secret room. The Doctor stepped forward, all eyes on him as he slipped the key into the keyhole, turned, and pushed with his good arm. The door swung open.

All four stared in amazement at the interior that was revealed to them. The walls were lined with tens of electrical devices, the monitors and televisions buzzing and flickering with electronic life. Rose could quite clearly see a radar screen currently functional and spinning around in a circle, but nothing was on it. Wires ran along the floor linking the systems together. A makeshift communications centre had been built out of whatever Mal could find – computers, televisions, even a four-track – all wired together in a fantastic patchwork quilt of technology. Jack whistled, impressed.

"He was a genius," Rose realised, taking a couple of steps forward to a chair in the centre of the electrical circle. On the desk stood a single can of Fosters and a packet of cigarettes; Mal's last meal, so to speak.

For once, even Jackie was gobsmacked. "And I thought programmin' the video was 'ard!"

The Doctor moved forward next to Rose, dropping to sit down in the swivel chair. He did a few spins with a gleeful expression on his face before reaching out with his left hand to the nearest keyboard, and tapping a key. The screensaver of a scantily clad woman clicked off to reveal a desktop picture of yet another scantily clad woman.

"I like his taste," Jack observed.

"Really?" the Doctor tapped a few keys to bring up a new window, hiding the desktop picture. "I prefer blondes."

Jackie 'hmped' as she looked over at Rose, who had instantaneously turned a bright red.

 **CONNECTING…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **CONNECTED**

The new window brought up a menu, and it somehow felt as though they were looking into the desktop of a secret service computer.

 **UY TOKYO JAPAN 02:04**

 **MP SEATTLE WASHINGTON US 10:04**

 **LL MANAGUA NICARAGUA 11:04**

 **LF SÃO PAULO BRAZIL 14:04**

 **NG TEHRAN IRAN 21:34**

 **KO TAHLINN ESTONIA 20:04**

 **BI ADELAIDE AUSTRALIA 02:34**

 **HJ BRISTOL UK 18:04**

 **JB INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA US 13:04**

 **RP HAVANA CUBA 13:04**

 **CP SHANGHAI CHINA 01:04**

 **GD BANGKOK THAILAND 00:04**

… The list went on.

"Now this is what I _call_ communication!" the Doctor said happily, scrolling down the list.

"What is it?" Jackie asked, peering closer over the Doctor's shoulder.

"Initials, a name of some kind I guess, followed by location, and then their current time zone," the Doctor explained, pointing at each in turn. The moment he took his finger away from the time zone they all suddenly flashed and changed to **:05**. Jackie nearly jumped out her skin.

"Blimey, that's clever innit?" she said, decidedly impressed.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, dodging the resulting slap that came his way – paying with a burning pain through his shoulder that served as a reminder for him not to do that again.

"Can we communicate with one of them?" Rose asked.

The Doctor nodded and randomly selected one of them - **LF SÃO PAULO BRAZIL 14:04**.

 **CONTACTING…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **CONNECTION ESTABLISHED**

Suddenly all the screens burst into life, showing the face of a young woman with short, messy dark hair and pale skin staring down the camera.

"Alô?"

"Olá!" the Doctor said with a grin, leaning forward "Só estou testando o sistema de comunicações, você está recebendo meu sinal?"

"Perfeitamente, alto e claro!" the young woman replied, though did look a little surprised.

"São duas da tarde aí também?" Rose asked.

"Correto...com licença, mas onde está Mal?"

Jackie stared, absolutely bewildered. Both the Doctor and her daughter appeared to be perfectly fluent in a language she didn't know a word of.

The Doctor paused for a moment. "Qual é seu nome?" he finally asked.

"Letícia," the woman replied.

"Sinto muito Letícia. Sinto muito mesmo, mas Mal morreu..."

She stared at him. "Como?"

"Ele foi envenenado, assassinado."

She seemed speechless. "... Mas..."

"Mas não se preocupe, eu sou o Doutor, e se tem uma coisa com que eu sou bom e l lidando com alienígenas."

Slowly, a smile spread onto her face. "'Ce vai continuar com o plano dele?"

"Tenta me impedir," he replied, grinning again. "Bom falar com você, Letícia. Te vejo em breve."

"Tchau!"

 **CONTACT TERMINATED**

The menu came up again. The Doctor leant back in his chair, mulling things over.

"What was that all about?" Jackie instantly demanded to know, turning to her daughter to demand answers. "Where you learn to speak that funny language? 'As 'e been messin' with your brain?"

"Mum, it's the TARDIS translator circuit. It translates all languages into English for me, and makes me speak them too," Rose explained quickly before the Doctor got a smack. "We just explained that Mal was dead and we're gonna sort this mess out."

"Oh." Jackie seemed to calm down, leaning forward again to the screen and taking the mouse. "Let's do one we can _all_ understand!" She double-clicked another one. **HJ BRISTOL UK 18:04**.

 **CONTACTING…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **CONNECTION ESTABLISHED**

The screens sprang into life… and the Doctor, Jackie and Rose got the shock of their lives, as staring back out at them from the screen was one Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister. For a moment, there was just silence as they stared at one another, unable to believe their eyes.

"And where exactly have _you_ been?" Harriet Jones demanded to know – but she was smiling in great relief.

"Harriet Jones," the Doctor said with a grin.

"Doctor," she said, "are you aware of the situation?"

"Vaguely," he said, waving his functional hand. "I'd like you to fill in the gaps, if you don't mind."

"Where's Mal?" There was that question again.

"Sorry ma'am, but Mal is dead," Jack was the one to answer this time, glancing at the Doctor. "We assumed authority of this Rebel headquarters after his death."

"I am very sorry to hear that, he was a nice young man." Thankfully she decided not to dwell on it. "What would you like to know, Doctor?"

He leant forward. "I'm assuming all these people on this database Mal has are leaders of other Rebel factions?"

She nodded. "We have 102 different Rebel factions across the world, each with their own private army of volunteers. At last count we stood at close to 3 billion. We were waiting for Mal's plan, since he's the closest to the Overseer HQ, but…" she trailed off. "I assume you've taken authority of that too?"

He nodded. "I need to go over the documents but I think I know a way I can get in safely and disable this forcefield. But I need to know what we're dealing with – what do these Overseers look like?"

Harriet leant forward, tapping at her keyboard. "We have some stock photos, sending them to you now."

 **CONNECTING…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **TRANSFERRING…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **RECEIVED**

A photo pinged onto the screen of an alien overseer caught in mid movement, gun raised, an expression of delight on its face. The Doctor fell silent as he stared at the picture, his hearts falling, jaw dropped.

"No…" he muttered, pulling away from the screen and getting onto his feet. "No… NO!"

Jack, Rose and Jackie watched in alarm as the Time Lord began to pace around the room, hitting his forehead with his hand, muttering to himself.

"No… I should've realised! The weapons, the HQ…"

Jack stepped forward, resting his hand on the Doctor's left shoulder. "What is it, Doc?"

The Doctor pointed at the picture on the screen. "Them… We can't fight them. We just can't."

Rose moved up next to him now, her expression one of concern. "What is it? What are they?"

"We can't fight them, they'd win outright… throw 3 billion humans at them and they'll kill them all!"

"Doctor!" Rose demanded sternly, shaking him. "What are they? Why are they so invincible?"

"Rose… Rose… oh Rose…" the Doctor muttered, looking at her with an expression of utter devastation. "I'm so sorry…"

This really got her alert. "Doctor! What is it? Who are they?"

The Doctor's eyes flickered back to the screen, looking over the picture once more, hoping he'd somehow misinterpreted it… but no. It was still the same. "They're… they're Sontarans. And under no circumstances can we engage them in battle. Mal's plan is a failure…"

"Doctor," Jack said firmly. "We've got no choice. We have to do somethin'. We don't have the TARDIS and we can't change the plan – you can't exactly waltz up and yell space laws at them. They ain't gonna listen. We have to do somethin' drastic."

The Doctor's gaze moved to the floor. "But… This plan… Sontarans are born for the battlefield, they're much better equipped and… If I carry out this plan, If I disable the forcefield… It's gonna be a massacre." He looked as though he were about to cry… or hit something… or both. "I can't do that. I just can't. I'd be leading the way into a war…" He swallowed as the memories of the Time War flooded his mind, and he forced back the oncoming tears. "I can't… Please… Please don't make me do it again…"

Rose obediently wrapped her arms around him, mindful of his injured shoulder as he buried his head into her neck like a vulnerable child.

"Please, Doctor," came Harriet Jones' voice from the computer, somehow forgotten in the moment. "This is our only option. There is no alternative. I know we rely heavily on you for this, but it's true that you are our only hope; humanity's only hope. And I know sometimes you must look at us with shame… But right now, no one has any clue what to do… and we need you. We need you to help us. Please, Doctor, help us."

He clung onto Rose like she was his only possession in the Universe, a few silent moments passing before he looked up into her eyes. He seemed to be searching for an answer from her.

"Doctor," she said gently. "I won't force you to do anythin'. But this is my planet. And you're all we have."

He stared at her for a moment longer before he slowly straightened, looking back at the screen. The picture had disappeared, replaced by Harriet Jones looking at him with an expression of both hope and concern.

"Okay," he said, "I'll do it."

He wondered just how much he'd regret his decision.


	9. The Quest Begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually an education for non-English people about the layout of London, it's just very convinient that they have to take the route with all the landmarks on... :P I point you in the direction of Google maps if you'd like to know more...

"Okay," the Doctor began three days later, spreading the documents Mal had given him over the floor of the communications room with both arms, his right arm now out of its sling with miracle Time Lord healing rates. There was a map of London, some rough sketches, lists and scrawls Mal had made. "Jack." He beckoned the ex-Time Agent over to crouch beside him, studying the map of London as the Doctor traced the trail with his index finger as he spoke. "This is our route. We get dropped off at St Thomas' Hospital east side of the Thames, just south of the London Eye. Westminster Bridge is still crossable so we'll go west across it. From there we pass Big Ben and go north up Whitehall, past Downing Street…"

"But we'll be going off course," Jack pointed out.

"No, trust me. We carry on into Trafalgar Square, then due west down Cockspur Street and turn north up Haymarket into Piccadilly Circus. We go down Piccadilly until we reach Berkeley Street, then travel due north until Lansdowne Row and follow Curzon Street until we reach Park Lane. Then it's north, crossover to the west road of Park Lane and then into Hyde Park. From there it's just a short walk to where we want to go."

"Thinkin' about this makes my legs hurt," Rose commented, frowning. "Can't we get dropped off a little closer? And why Hyde Park? We want Buckingham Palace."

"We can't get closer because Buckingham Palace and the surrounding gardens will be _full_ of Sontarans and Kevs, and the hospital will have a helipad where we can land the helicopter. If we land in the middle of Hyde Park they're gonna see us coming, we have to walk to remain inconspicuous. And it's Hyde Park, because I say so," the Doctor explained, before pausing, and looking down at the map before he next said, "and you mean 'you', not 'we'."

"What?" Rose asked.

"It's just Jack and me going."

Rose stared at him as though he'd just grown another head. "You are kiddin', yeah? I'm comin' with you."

"It's too dangerous," the Doctor said bluntly. "You're staying here, with Jackie."

Rose nearly slapped him. _Nearly._ "Well there's no way that's happenin'!"

He looked exasperated. "Please Rose, don't make me have to beg…"

"He's right, sweetheart," Jackie said gently. "When 'as 'e ever been wrong, eh?"

"I can name a few times!" Rose burst out, fists clenched before launching into a mimicking voice of the Doctor, "'don't worry Rose, it's just a scratch!', 'don't worry Rose, this is perfectly legal!', and oh yeah, my personal favourite, 'don't worry Rose, it's impossible to go to parallel worlds!'"

"If he says it's too dangerous then it's too dangerous, and I don't want you gettin' hurt, love," Jackie said simply, trying desperately to make her daughter see sense.

"When has it ever been _too_ dangerous?" She threw her arms up, fuming, glaring at the Doctor. "When I was hangin' on a rope from a barrage balloon 40 feet above London in the Blitz with a Union Flag across my chest I didn't see _you_ complainin' about it the next day!"

"Hey, I remember that!" Jack said with a grin, before realising it had been completely the wrong thing to say as Jackie Tyler began a transformation…

"You did _what?"_ she shrieked, hands on hips as she turned to the Doctor, eyes afire.

"What?" The Doctor looked extremely surprised. "I swear I didn't know this!"

"Is _this_ what you _do_ with my daughter?" Jackie practically screamed, advancing menacingly towards the cowering Time Lord. "Put 'er in impossible situations and just _leave_ 'er to _die?"_

"I swear I didn't know…!"

"And just _where were you_ whilst my daughter was on the _verge_ of _death?"_

"I was… In a bar!"

 _"IN A BAR?"_

"Guy and girls!" Jack suddenly interrupted, placing himself strategically between Jackie and the Doctor before she managed to rip the Doctor apart with her bare hands. "Let's all just calm down, and take a breather." He glanced between them sternly, preventing hands in the air. "Right. Now, Rose…" He turned to the girl in question, who was still quietly seething on the side. "Maybe you should listen to the Doctor. Doctor?"

The Doctor looked grave, moving forward towards Rose and taking her hands into his. "Do you remember Acenena?"

Rose suddenly paled to white at the name, looking up at the Doctor with unsure eyes. "Yeah…"

"It might… be like that. If we get caught."

Rose fell silent, her hands tightening on his as her mind waded through the memories of events on Acenena. None of them were good.

"That's why you can't come with us," the Doctor continued. "I can handle being tortured, so can Jack, but… you can't. They might just torture us for fun and then kill us. And if I had to watch them hurt you…" his eyes disconnected, looking at the floor.

"Oh Doctor," she sighed. "I know the dangers. You think I didn't know what was gonna happen on Acenena? I knew…" She turned his hands over and rubbed the pads of her thumbs over his palms as though there were scars they could no longer see. "I promised you then I'd stay with you through thick and thin… and if it means another Acenena, then I don't care." She gazed into his eyes, still rubbing his hands gently. "You taught me that you don't just give up. You make a stand, you say no… And this is me sayin' no now. This is _my_ planet. _My_ home, _my_ life. My planet is in danger and these people need us. I don't care what it takes, if it's Acenena all over again then I guess I'll just have to deal with it… I know it'll be all right, because you'll be there."

There was a momentary pause as her words sank in, the Doctor's eyes filled with emotions of pain, loss, and confusion. "Then… I'll let you decide," he finally said in a quiet voice. "Considering everything. Everything that happened on Acenena, everything that _could_ happen now… Do you want to come or not?"

She answered clearly and concisely. "Yes."

Jackie looked ready to argue but Rose quickly turned to her, her hands still in the Doctor's. "Mum…" she began. "I don't need your permission to do this. I know it's dangerous, I know I could die… but I don't care. I want you to be proud of me. If I die saving the world then I don't care."

Jackie didn't know _what_ to say, remaining speechless for a moment. She loved her daughter, but it was quite clear her mind was already made up. Silent moment passed, before she managed a single word reply, "okay."

The Doctor gave a half smile. "We set off tomorrow. Let's get some rest."

Silently all four helped gather up the dispersed papers and maps on the floor, the Doctor stuffing them into his extensive pockets before he took Rose's hand once more, and they left the communications room to rest in Mal's main tent.

What they didn't notice was the flashing blip on the radar headed directly towards them.

* * *

Rose was rudely awoken from a rather odd dream about parrots by the feeling of someone slapping her in the stomach. She groaned deeply, waving ineffectually at the space she'd been hit and turning over, closing her eyes again. A few seconds later, just as she was fading away, she heard a mumble – the Doctor. Purely by instinct, she knew something was wrong.

She sat up, blinking back sleep as the Doctor's coat slipped off of her and she looked down at the Time Lord lying next to her – he was perspiring, thrashing around in his sleep as he mumbled in an unintelligible language, his face contorted in what could be interpreted as pain.

He suddenly cried out, loud enough to wake Jackie and Jack. They jerked awake, looking over to the Doctor and Rose in confusion.

"What's goin' on?" Jackie asked, still half-asleep.

"Don't worry, he does this." Rose knelt next to the Doctor and took him into her arms, rubbing his back in comfort, whispering in his ear. After a moment he began to relax, still gasping and moaning, choking in his sleep. She held him a little tighter before he finally sagged, his face relaxing as the moment passed. She looked up at Jack and Jackie, smiling in reassurance. "It's the Time War. He dreams about it. He used to do it all the time, but it stopped recently…" She paused for a moment, considering. "This Sontaran thing must've brought it back."

They watched Rose gently lowered him to the ground again pillowing his head with her hand as she brushed back his hair from his eyes. She had the look of someone who had done it a thousand times before, but took care every single time. Jackie watched with narrow eyes, but with a strange sense of resignation. It was obvious, even to her, that the Doctor and Rose held a love for each other that went much deeper than physical. The Doctor relied on Rose as much as she relied on him – one without the other was like a cheeseburger without the cheese… a pencil without the lead… a door without a handle…

Suddenly there was a _massive_ explosion as the entire tent shook dramatically, sending objects flying absolutely everywhere.

"What the bloody 'ell was that?" Jackie demanded to know as the Doctor sat bolt upright, awake and alert.

"That was a bomb!" Rose realised, her heart pounding as the Doctor was on his feet and out the tent in a flash.

There was utter chaos. Fire consumed all manner of buildings and constructs. Smoke was spiralling from seemingly everywhere. Men, woman and children screamed and ran, arms flailing, desperately trying to escape the fires and find their loved ones. Rose, Jack and Jackie poured out the tent behind the Doctor, only having enough time to drink the scene in before another _colossal_ explosion rang out, throwing them all to the ground.

"They're throwing bombs on us!" the Doctor yelled, dragging Jackie to her feet. "Take cover!"

They sprinted across the concrete, headed for a half destroyed wall that would be able to offer them slight protection. Jack and Jackie managed to dive behind the wall just in time, but the Doctor and Rose were caught in the next blast. The Doctor managed to shield Rose but still both were sent hurtling to the concrete ground, debris peppering them as Jackie cried out in horror, attempting to get over to them to help but Jack pulled her back and held her, his own heart _screaming_ at him to run over to his friends to help them but his brain knew there was no point in getting themselves injured too – there'd be no one to help them if they were hurt badly. They remained still for the impact of the fourth bomb, wiping out the human community of refugees like a giant foot stepping onto a colony of ants.

Then it was over as quickly as it had started. The bombs stopped hammering down on them and all that was left was the burning remains of what had been houses and tents of refugees. For a few moments they sat still and silent, making sure there wouldn't be another… Then they were both off in a shot across to where the Doctor and Rose lay apparently unmoving in the burning wreck of the building half-standing.

As they reached them the Doctor groaned and pushed himself up, holding a hand to his head as his brow furrowed. There were surface cuts from flying debris on his face.

"You okay?" Jack asked, supporting him as Jackie ran to her daughter. The Doctor nodded, wincing slightly.

"No neck or spine injuries… no broken bones…"

"Good," Jack said, before looking around at their burning and devastated surroundings. "Why?" he asked, disbelief in both his tone and his face. "Why would the Sontarans do this?"

"I don't think it was the Sontarans," the Doctor said quietly.

"Then who?" Rose asked, Jack was helping the Doctor to get to his feet where he swayed dangerously, blinking erratically.

"Bit dizzy?" Jack asked, checking the back of his head.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes…"

"Nauseous?"

"Yes…"

"Gonna faint?"

"Yes…" and with that, he collapsed into Jack's waiting arms.

Jack turned back to Jackie and Rose, the latter sitting up under her own steam. "All right?"

Rose nodded. "I'm fine, the Doctor took most of it…"

"It came outta bloody nowhere! Is the Doctor all right?" Jackie was up in an instant, moving over to check on the Time lord hanging in Jack's arms. "His 'earts! Are they s'posed to beat like that?"

"There's a shard of debris in the back of his head… I don't think it's deep but it's bleedin' like hell, and I'm worried about a second head injury so close to the first… I'll run with him to the Green Zone…" But before Jack could continued there was the screeching sound of brakes from behind them, and they looked up to find a black van pull up in front of them.

"No!" Rose yelled, her heart racing in alarm as she recognised the van instantly. "Run, Jack! That's a Kev van!"

Before Jack could even begin to turn two people emerged from the back of the van, two people in the instantly recognisable full black Kevlar and tinted visor helmets. Within moments they were pointing their guns at all four of them.

"Your friend, he is injured?" one of them asked Jack.

"What the hell do you care?" Jack yelled back, standing his ground. "He's no use to you!"

Their retort was simple, swivelling their guns to point at Rose and Jackie. "Get in the van or the women will die!" the one who had spoken before demanded maliciously. Jack knew they weren't bluffing, and he didn't have a choice. With once last glance at Rose and Jackie he moved forward to the back of the van, looking up inside to be met with a scene with sent him deep into a state of confusion.

There were injured people in the back, being given medical care by Kevs. It was cramped but there was still space and he was gently but firmly pushed forward, a Kev trying to take the Doctor off of him but he refused to let go. He sat down in a free corner; pressing his handy handkerchief to the back of the Doctor's bleeding head, being careful not to push the fragment in any further. He rested the unconscious Time Lord on his lap, letting his head loll on his shoulder. From outside he could hear Rose and Jackie crying out to him, begging the Kevs to let them go… but then the van doors shut and their voices became muffles as the van started up once more and they began to move, heading towards the unknown.


	10. A Slight Hold Up

Jack couldn't tell how long it had been since they'd left the refugee camp when the van finally stopped. The Doctor was still unconscious but at least he'd stopped bleeding. The van doors opened and more Kevs were revealed, some pushing around gurneys – Jack couldn't figure out what the hell was going on. Something was wrong here, definitely wrong… The other injured people were taken out carefully and laid on individual gurneys, all of which promptly disappeared out of view. Someone tried to take the Doctor from him but Jack held him firm, glaring at the Kev who'd tried to take him. He expected them to use violence, or maybe at least insist, but the Kev merely drew back, gesturing for him to carry the Doctor out.

They were standing in the car park of a hospital that teemed with life, both human and electronic. Around them Kevs were pushing and carrying around injured people on gurneys and stretchers – but that was all Jack got to see as he was pushed to follow his group, through the doors of what would have been the accident and emergency when the Hospital was running.

They were lead through to what looked like a waiting room, where many more people who were conscious but injured sat in anxiety, wondering what the Kevs were going to do to them. Jack could only presume the Kevs were treating the injured, but what _then?_ Where would they take these people? Why were they treating them anyway? Perhaps because they were weak and unable to defend themselves if the Kevs drove them off to a labour camp?

Jack took a space on a lounge chair, holding the Doctor against him.

"Doc, wake up, I need you here…" Jack muttered to the unconscious man lying unresponsive in his arms. He stroked his thumb over the Time Lord's cheek gently, not really expecting a reaction, so he was surprised when the Doctor shifted in his grip, his brow furrowing as he let out a small moan.

"That's it," Jack encouraged. "There we go."

The Doctor's eyes flickered open, gazing up at Jack in pain and slight disorientation.

Jack smiled broadly. "Hey, there are those beautiful browns!" he said happily, beaming. "How're you feelin'?"

"Like someone hammered a nail into my head," the Doctor answered bluntly, closing his eyes again. He took a careful sniff that made him frown in pain. "Where are we?"

"I actually don't know," Jack confessed, and then proceeded to launch into a huge explanation of what had happened at the Refugee Camp, the strange behaviour of the Kevs and the arrival at the hospital. By the time Jack had got onto his theory the Doctor was making negative noises.

"Jack," he interrupted, still not having moved from his position in Jack's grip. "Who threw the bombs on us?"

"The Sontarans…"

"Think about it. The reason the Sontarans are keeping the human race alive is for purposes of slavery, and from what I've seen so far; they use them for weapons manufacture. This planet is like one big weapon factory, and humans are the unpaid workforce. It means there are more Sontarans able to fight on the battlefields whilst controlling the human race through means of fear to make their weapons. What possible motive do they have to kill their own slaves? No Jack, this wasn't the Sontarans…"

"Then who?" Jack asked, puzzled.

"Come on Jack," the Doctor said with a sigh. "I can't invite you back on board if you all can do is carry my unconscious body around and look pretty…"

"Ah, so you admit I'm pretty!" Jack said, grinning from ear-to-ear, but the first part of the sentence was the bit that caught his attention, making his heart do flips. The Doctor was going to ask him to travel again? The Doctor must have read his mind because he gave a small smile, but said no more on it.

"The Sontarans aren't fighting humans, are they?" the Doctor continued. "They're fighting some other race. And this race has figured that this slave force of humans make the Sontaran's weapons, so naturally they're going to try and cut the workforce, and stunt the rate of Sontaran weapon production. Get it?"

Jack nodded. "So these other guys that the Sontarans are fighting pounded us with the bombs?"

The Doctor nodded… then winced as pain shot through his head at the movement. "I wouldn't be surprised if other giant refugee camps across the world were bombed as well, we won't know unless we get back to the Communication's Room. Besides, the bombs were so small that they were just leftover stock… Next time we might not be so lucky."

"So tell me about these Sontaran guys…"

"Mean, brutes, clones that are born for battle. They're obsessed with war and find it glorious. They're not afraid to die, and that's what makes them so danger…"

He was interrupted by the sudden sound of people headed towards the door.

Jack sat up, alert. "Play possum," he hissed and the Doctor unquestioningly obeyed, closing his eyes and going limp. The door opened and three Kevs walked in, one pushing a gurney. Their helmets turned left and right, scanning around the room. Their eyes rested on Jack and the apparently unconscious Doctor, and the one at the front gestured to him.

"Put him on the gurney," a man's voice ordered Jack. Jack stood up with the Doctor in his arms, defensive.

"Only if I come with him."

"We can take it from here, civilian," the Kev said emotionlessly.

"No way," Jack retorted. "He hasn't woken up yet, so what's he gonna think when he wakes up to a bunch of Kevs?"

They stilled. He expected resistance to his request but they simply nodded. Jack moved forward, laying the Doctor on his side on the gurney, careful not to let his head be damaged further. He took the Time Lord's hand, giving a quick squeeze when none of the Kevs were looking. He got a squeeze back. He walked alongside the gurney as it was pushed out the door and down a corridor, through some double doors at the end and left into a private room. The Kevs slid their arms underneath the Doctor, transferring him to the bed in one swift movement, Jack holding his hand all the way.

Two of the Kevs left the room, leaving him alone with one who pulled on some latex gloves and stepped forward, beginning to thumb through the Doctor's blood-soaked hair to his head injury. The Kev seemed to be struggling.

"You know if you took the helmet off you'd be able to see a lot easier," Jack suggested casually. The Kev looked up at him, considering for a moment before reaching up and pulling off the helmet to reveal a young brown-haired woman with bright blue eyes and perfectly smooth skin. If the circumstances had been different Jack would have probably turned on his charm – but her gun was still lying propped up against the wall, and she was touching his best friend's injured head.

"How long has he been unconscious?" she asked, taking an electric razor from the side and flicking it on.

"About half an hour," Jack said, wincing at the razor. "Oh, he's not gonna like that."

She chuckled. "Necessity, I'm afraid. It'll grow back." She lowered it to his scalp and began to take off the Doctor's locks of soft hair.

Jack silently watched as he held the Doctor's hand, observing the efficient way she worked with expert hands. "Did you used to be a doctor?"

"Well I still am…" she said, giving a tiny smile as she finished taking off the patch of the Doctor's hair around the wound. "I used to work at St Thomas… Before all this started."

"St Thomas…" Jack echoed. "Did you know a Kate? Kate Stevens?"

She stiffened at the name, her eyes wide as they flickered over to Jack. "You know her? Is she okay?"

Jack offered a smile, squeezing the Doctor's hand to signify it was okay to 'wake up'. "Yeah she's fine. She treats people in the Refugee Camp."

She gave her first, full genuine smile… but after a moment, it faded. "Don't tell her I'm a… well, you know."

The Doctor suddenly groaned, shifting about slightly as he feigned coming to. Jack dropped to him instantly.

"Hey, welcome back," he said gently as the Doctor's eyes flickered open. "You're being treated by a Kev, but don't worry, she's nice. I kinda fancy her."

The Kev suppressed a smile. "What's his name?" she asked Jack quickly. It threw him slightly, flicking through the name dictionary in his head of, 'Giacomo', 'Engelbert' and 'Humphrey' before finally managing to settle on a sane name.

"Will!" he blurted out. "His name's Will."

"Okay, Will," the Kev said gently. "Don't worry, I'm going to give you some pain relief…"

"What kind?" the Doctor asked instantly, keeping the tiredness in his voice.

"Err… Entonox. It's all we have. Is that a problem?"

The Doctor shook his head… and then regretted it. "No, that's fine."

"Here." She handed him a mask attached to a tank, which he gratefully took and instantly pressed to his face.

Jack grimaced. The pain must have been _really_ bad if the Doctor's physiology couldn't handle it alone. Then again, Jack had unfortunately had had the dubious pleasure of having something impale his skull, and it wasn't exactly like a paper cut.

With the hair around the wound cleared, the Kev began to extract the shard. The Doctor winced and gripped onto Jack's hand a little tighter.

"It's penetrated your skull," the Kev explained. "This may hurt…"

Jack tried to block out the distinct sound of bone against metal, making Jack's toes tingle.

"So," the Doctor began, bizarrely making a conversation in the middle of having something pulled out of his head. "What's your name?"

She didn't answer, presumably trying to pretend she hadn't heard him.

"Come on," the Doctor said as he took another deep breath from the mask. "If you're prodding at my brain surely I at least deserve to know your name? Promise we won't tell."

"It's Jane."

"And now your real name?"

She laughed. "It's Jess. Jess Nichols."

"Okay, Jess," the Doctor continued happily as he took another breath. "You Kevs seem to be the only ones around here that know what's going on here. Don't suppose you want to share?"

She fell silent again, still tending to his head. The Doctor tried again.

"Look, we're all in the same boat here, except some went port and others went starboard…" he took in another deep breath. "The Overseers want you to save the humans and…"

"They didn't want it," Jess interrupted sharply, slight emotion injected into her tone. "We did."

"The Kevs are saving the refugees from the bombs and giving them medical care of their own accord?"

"We're still human, we have empathy. I am a doctor, and I heal wounds," she said firmly. "We don't get anything special by working for the Overseers. We all have our reasons."

"And yours?" the Doctor prompted.

"… I'm pregnant. I work for them so my baby won't get hurt."

Jack's eyes moving to her belly and yes, there was a definite bulge. He hadn't noticed it before. "Congratulations, how far along are you?"

"Nearly five months… and before you ask, no I don't know where the father is. We lost each other in the chaos…" She wiped a lingering tear from her eye. "He's probably dead. And I don't want my baby to be born into a world like this…"

There was a pause as she composed herself, reaching for bandages to lightly wrap around his head in order to give him some dignity from his bald patch.

"Who leads the Kevs?" the Doctor asked gently.

"Chris, or at least that's what he calls himself." She wrapped the bandage around his head.

"Could I see him?" the Doctor asked.

This threw her slightly, and she paused in her work. "W-Why?"

"I'd like to."

She resumed her bandaging, clipping it in place to finish off. "I'm not the one to ask."

"Then show me who to ask," the Doctor replied firmly, accepting help from Jack to sit up against the pillows. Jess checked his pupil response, composing routine checks before straightening up.

"You have a concussion but it's only mild. You should rest," she said firmly.

"Jess, please, listen to me. You said you didn't want your baby to be born into a world like this. We can change that, We just need a bit of help. If I can talk to your leader then I promise you, it _will_ happen."

"You have two hearts," she suddenly said, not in disbelief, but more in trepidation.

The Doctor sighed, knowing that only bad things could come out of this. "You noticed."

"How could I not?" Suddenly she was backing away from him, her hand on her belly with her eyes wide. "You're an Overseer, aren't you? Testing me!"

"Jess," Jack stepped forward, hands in the air. "If you can't trust him, then trust me. I'm human, and although he's an alien he _is_ a good guy. If you knew him you'd know that too. He's saved this planet more times than you've brushed your teeth, and I trust him with my life. We can sort out this problem and bring your child into a better world, but we need your help. Please?"

She slowly reached out, pressing her hand to his chest, pausing for a moment before crossing to the other side. She closed her eyes, swallowing. "… Okay."

"Thank you." The Doctor took one last deep breath from the mask, and then passed it to Jack. "I think you're gonna have to help me… I feel a bit… floppy," he said apologetically to the ex-Time Agent, who shrugged nonchalantly and helped him onto both feet, slinging the Time Lord's left arm around his shoulders as Jess put her helmet back on and picked up her gun, the instant Kev aura of fear encircling her.

"Follow," she said, and disappeared out the door.


	11. The Quest Resumes!

Dawn broke over the refugee camp, and Rose Tyler was in mourning.

The fires had died out to reveal smouldering remains of wrecked houses in the camp. The medical tents were packed fit to burst of the injured whilst bodies of the ever-growing number of dead were being laid out in lines so that people could identify their loved ones. And now Rose sat in Mal's tent, holding the Doctor's coat to her chest as the reality of what had happened hit her like a ton of bricks. Her two best friends were probably right at this moment being beaten and chained up and thrown around in a labour camp somewhere…

Jackie had tried to console her with the usual, "there, there, it'll be all right sweetheart" but still Rose had wept, grieving for the two boys she loved so much.

"The Doctor always gets out of it," Jackie assured her, holding her daughter close. "And that gorgeous Jack fella; both of them."

"But the Doctor's hurt, Mum," Rose whimpered, burying her face into his coat. It smelt of him. "What if he needs help?" Then she was rebuking herself. "I'm an idiot. I should've followed the van…"

"No," Jackie said instantly, pulling her away to look deeply into her eyes. "The Doctor wouldn't have wanted that, love."

There was a pause as Rose searched her Mum's expression, before suddenly shaking her off and getting to her feet, pulling the Doctor's coat around her shoulders. "I'm goin' for a walk," she said shortly, and then left.

* * *

Jackie was right, of course. The Doctor wouldn't have wanted her to get caught up in a labour camp, and especially not just for his sake. Rose was comforted by the fact that the Doctor was used to these types of situations, but worried for the other fact that he was injured.

She pulled the Doctor's coat a little tighter around her when the world seemed to grow cold just as she entered the part of the camp by the entrance that had taken the worst damage. It was utterly deserted. She picked her way through the debris, her footsteps lonely on the concrete flecked with dark marks of the fires that had once been.

It was sound that first prompted her to look up to the entrance of the camp, and to her horror she caught sight of an advancing black van – a Kev van. Were they back for more people to take away? With a pang of alarm she realised she had nowhere to hide… they'd probably already seen her. And strangely, she wanted them to. She wanted them to take her away… maybe to the Doctor… Instinctively she pulled the Doctor's coat around her like a cocoon, knowing it would do no good but somehow feeling a little more protected as the van came speeding into the camp, bumping over various random rocks and mud hills.

The van suddenly grinded to a halt mere metres away from her – so close she could see the driver's black helmet looking her way. Right. This was it…

But then the van started to reverse, and Rose blinked, surprised. It performed a tidy 3-point turn, sitting itself neatly in the entrance of the camp with the back doors facing inwards. Before she had a chance to even think what this might mean the doors flung open – and people started pouring out. There were only two Kevs still wielding their trademark guns, and the rest were refugees.

Then suddenly she saw them. It was the Doctor and Jack. She was unable to believe her eyes as Jack jumped down from the van, giving her a cheery wave before turning back to the Doctor who wobbled slightly with a bandage around his head, searching for hands to help him get down. A few moments passed before Jack visibly sighed, throwing his arms up and grabbing the Doctor, lifting him off of his perch and onto the ground. Without even realising it Rose's feet were moving, running towards them with a smile bigger than the Grinch's spread across her face. She reached them in seconds, her heart feeling as though it might burst out of her chest in the pure happiness that the Doctor and Jack were here, and alive. She threw herself onto the Doctor, who might well have fallen with the impact if Jack hadn't supported him.

She watched over the Doctor's shoulder as more people clambered out of the van, helping to move white boxes from the van and onto the floor. Medical supplies. The Kevs were giving them medical supplies.

"Rose… you can let go now…" came the Doctor's voice from over her shoulder. Her smile broadened and she held him even tighter.

"No way."

And she wasn't lying. She clung onto him for another ten minutes.

* * *

 _"So, we are allied with the Kevs?"_

The Doctor nodded at Harriet Jones through the thankfully untarnished communications room. It had been the first port of call after he had made sure the supplies got to the hospital, and he'd since found out that yes, he had been right. Other camps across the globe had suffered the same fate as theirs. The death toll was high, with millions more casualties fighting for their lives.

"Yes," he replied simply. "Jack and I talked to the Kev leader, nice guy, fond of apples. They'll join the final fight to take down the Sontarans, but for now we carry on as normal. I need to sleep off my latest injury and we should be ready to leave for the Sontaran HQ tomorrow afternoon."

 _"How will we know if you manage to deactivate the shield?"_

He gave a small smile. "That's sorted. I've rigged up a gizmo from spare parts that we can use to send a binary pulse across electromagnetic waves. Your screen will be spammed constantly until you cancel the application. Should be clear enough."

She nodded. _"I'll let the others know."_

"This is the best I can do. The rest will be up to you."

She nodded again. _"We truly are indebted to you, Doctor. Please return safely, Rose and Jack too."_

It was his turn to nod. "I'll do my best."

 _"Good bye, Doctor."_

"Thank you, Harriet Jones. Good bye."

The screen went black. The Doctor sighed lengthily, leaning back in the swivel chair and staring up at the ceiling, spinning around a few times absent-mindedly. After a few moments he pushed himself onto his feet, preparing himself for the healing coma he was about to enter and the inevitable mothering from Jackie that would come with it.

* * *

At midday the next day, the Doctor _very_ slowly rose to awareness. Jackie tried to hasten his awakening by waving a cup of water in front of him to which he groaned, turning over and covering his head with his arm. Jack opened his shirt and turned him over carefully, expecting resistance but the Doctor didn't even make a sound as he slumped with Jack's push onto his stomach with his arms lying haphazardly beneath him. The ex-Time Agent snipped through the bandages around his shoulder, pleased to find the bullet wound was now a scar – a scar that would probably only disappear with regeneration.

He next pulled off the lightly wrapped bandage around the Doctor's head, turning his unresisting head to the side so he could examine the wound properly. His hair, although not fully grown back in the healing coma, was long enough not to be noticeable at first glance.

"Doctor, I'm gonna remove the sutures, okay? You don't need them anymore."

"Go away," the Doctor murmured into the pillow, still in a stupor. All three humans suppressed laughter before Jack set about removing the sutures; half expecting the Doctor to start groaning in pain but he was too far under to be fully aware of himself or his surroundings.

It was ten minutes before he managed to sit up, still looking half-asleep. He tiredly consumed eight bowls of porridge in five minutes, and downed another twenty-two glasses of water on top of that in the midst of an energy deficit before he allowed himself to be dragged out of bed, stumbling and yawning all the way.

It was 1pm before the Doctor managed to get fully dressed and out the flap of Mal's tent in a state of vague coherence. They made some last preparations before the helicopter was fully ready to go, to take them on what could be their last mission.

It seemed as though the entire camp had turned out to wave them goodbye. The Doctor didn't like the attention, but accepted it gracefully anyway. It was a tearful good bye, Jackie blubbering over all three of them in turn. She knew this could be the last time she'd see them alive, but it was not mentioned. They all knew the risks, and it was all best left unsaid.

They boarded the helicopter together, giving their last waves to the crowd below as the helicopter lifted and departed away from the refugee camp, the three passengers waving at the disappearing crowd until they all just become a spot in the distance.

Rose sat on one of the seats, twiddling her thumbs nervously in obvious deep thought. The Doctor gave Jack a glance before taking a seat next to Rose.

"Second thoughts?" he asked gently.

She didn't answer him directly. "I'm gonna miss her."

He sighed, reaching out and taking her hand into his. "We can always turn back and drop you off again. No one's forcing you to come. No one will think any less of you."

She shook her head instantly, clutching his hand a little tighter than usual. "There're just a lot of people relying on us, y'know?"

He nodded. "The offer still stands," he said simply.

"I'm not desertin' you," she said with a smile, squeezing back on his hand as she looked him in the eye. "I know how hard it is for you to do this. I'm bein' your conscience."

He laughed, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He drew her into a hug, holding her tightly. She returned it, just as tight.

The helicopter flew on.


	12. Last Meal

The journey was surprisingly short to Rose. It seemed only a matter of minutes before the helicopter touched down at its intended destination of St Thomas Hospital helipad and they were getting to their feet, giving a final obligatory wave and gratitude to the pilots, who returned it in equal measure. The Doctor helped Rose down as he eyes flickered around them for any possible lurking Sontarans – but it was clear. It was also getting a bit dark.

"Let's get under cover," the Doctor said as the helicopter lifted away again, the sound soon dying away as it disappeared back over the horizon to where it had come from. The three ran across the clearing to lean against a wall, Doctor drawing the map from his coat pocket and opening to examine it.

"Okay, at normal walking pace this would take maybe an hour, but since Sontarans are dotted everywhere and we're taking the very long route it will take a while longer. We'll have to stop and sleep for the night somewhere along Curzon Street."

He got two nods back, stuffing the map back inside his coat pocket before he continued.

"If at any time we're spotted, split up and head north. We'll meet back up at King's Cross Station. We all know where that is?"

Another two nods back at him.

"Good. Allons-y!"

* * *

Progress was slow. Westminster Bridge was nearly almost completely destroyed – they had considered detouring to cross the bridge slightly north and into Embankment, but they just about managed to navigate their way over the bridge using the equipment Jack had brought with them in a backpack. The Doctor didn't even _want_ to ask where Jack had managed to get a grapple hook…

If the situation hadn't been so dangerous they might've enjoyed the chance for sightseeing – even if the sights were now slightly in disrepair. Big Ben had several large holes in it as though something incomprehensibly large had taken a few bites out of it, whilst 10 Downing Street was now just a pile of rubble on the ground.

The usual flirtatious and humorous banter that existed between the three friends now remained in an eerie silence, the wind making background noise as it whistled through the devastated and lonely city. There was fear and tension in the air, progressively getting more and more potent as the minutes ticked by.

It wasn't until they reached the end of Whitehall and into Trafalgar Square they first saw a Sontaran. The Doctor grabbed onto Rose's and Jack's arms and yanked them behind a wall, placing his finger on his lips. They instantly fell silent, pressing themselves against the wall obediently. The Doctor peeked his head out to see if he'd perhaps mistaken something in the distance but no, it was a Sontaran, marching their way… and behind him there was an entire platoon of them, marching in synchrony and headed straight towards them.

"Run," the Doctor whispered urgently, taking Rose's hand and pelting down the road, turning left up into another street. The Doctor let go of her hand again, peeking around the wall as Jack and Rose held back, hearts hammering in their chests for no other reason than the fact the Doctor was anxious and alert himself.

The Time Lord watched as the Sontarans marched past the end of the road – there had to be about forty or fifty of them, all heavily armed and silent but for their footfalls on the concrete. Suddenly one stopped and stepped out of the platoon, turning to look down their street. The Doctor shrank back quickly, pressing himself against the wall once more. A silent five seconds went by before he afforded another peek around the wall – and to his absolute horror the Sontaran was jogging directly towards them.

It took the Sontaran a mere ten seconds to reach the street the Doctor, Rose and Jack were on. He stopped and pivoted on the spot, looking directly down the road to survey the area, priming his gun and panning it around the street. His helmet turned left and right in a slow arc; another ten seconds of silence passing. He started marching towards the dumpster…

"Get back in line, soldier!" a deep voice suddenly rang out.

The Sontaran started, his helmet looking back up the road he'd just run down to find his General staring back at him.

"I am sorry sir," the Sontaran replied in a voice just as deep as the General's. "I am sure saw something moving in the shadows."

"Those pathetic humans are all in slavery or hiding!" the General assured him, pivoting on the spot and marching back towards the platoon, which had stopped at the end of the road. "Quick march!"

The Sontaran gave one last look around the street before he too pivoted on the spot, marching back up to rejoin his platoon. Soon the synchronised steps of marching Sontarans once again began and faded away into the night.

Rose let out the breath she'd been holding, pure relief flooding her as the Doctor stood up, lifting the lid of the dumpster and jumping out, helping her out as Jack bounded out beside him.

"Close," the ex-Time Agent muttered, taking a sniff of himself. "And now we all stink."

The Doctor ignored him, far too concentrated on the mission. He seemed uncharacteristically stressed, and subsequently it was making Rose and Jack even more nervous than usual. "We've lost a lot of time. C'mon."

* * *

It was pitch black by the time they were halfway down Curzon Street. Rose was flagging and all three were starving, legs aching in the midst of exhaustion. The Doctor took one look at his companions, frowning before leading them off to the right in a conveniently placed hotel, Benugo, if the tarnished signs were anything to go by. Luckily the building itself was still intact, and the Doctor buzzed open the glass doors to gain access inside. Luckily the hotel had been closed when the area had been deserted, so apart from a few cobwebs and several layers of dust it was relatively clean. Silently the Doctor lead them towards the kitchens, using the sonic once more to turn on the lights to reveal a dusty but usable kitchen.

"Hmm. Freezer's still going," the Doctor observed, "must be running on a backup generator after the initial power supply ran out…" He moved over to it and pulled it open to reveal mountains of unused food perfectly preserved. "Jackpot!" he exclaimed, grinning from ear-to-ear, some of his old demeanour thankfully returning, and Rose and Jack visibly relaxed. "Does the cooker work?"

"Not sure." Jack moved over to the appliance in question, turning the knobs to try and elicit a reaction. "It's dead."

"I'll have that fixed, no problem," the Doctor said with a grin and his top half disappeared into the freezer, scrabbling around for a moment before pulling out all manner of foods. "How does… steak, chips, peas, parsnips and carrots in a peppercorn sauce with triple chocolate ice cream dessert and a cup of tea sound?"

"Very fattenin'," Rose said, grinning.

"That's the idea," he replied happily as he drew back out of the freezer, whipping off his coat and throwing it over the counter. He took the sonic out of his inside pocket and adjusted the setting before passing it to Rose. "Buzz everything that needs defrosting, it'll vibrate the molecules and have them ready to cook in ten minutes. Jack!" he called, spinning around as Rose rushed off, sonicking as she went. "We need to get everything functioning…" He took Jack's left arm and pulled back the sleeve to reveal the vortex manipulator still around his wrist, fiddling with the settings. "Press this button here and point at every electrical thing in sight, should give us enough power to work with for about eight hours. And do it fast because you're on vegetable duty."

"Yessir," Jack said, giving a mock salute and running off to fulfil his assignment. The Doctor whirled back around, drawing a folded chef's hat out of his pocket and putting it on his head.

"Knew it'd come in use for something!" he enthused.

* * *

A little while later and the three sat around a round table, finishing up the last of their ice cream. They'd chatted about old times, new times, the good times and the bad times, reminiscing together as three best friends, completely forgetting the mountainous task that lay ahead of them.

Jack full well knew this could be their last chance to talk like this. Both of his best friends could be dead this time tomorrow, regeneration or no regeneration. Not for the first time in his life, Jack resented his immortality. The Doctor and Rose were one of the few things he had left in the Universe – he still hadn't found the right moment to ask the Doctor if he could come, but right now he wasn't sure if the Doctor would be travelling at all.

Finally they settled down for the night in the lounge area of the restaurant, Rose curled up under the Doctor's coat on the sofa next to the Doctor, using him as a pillow as they both slept. Jack watched over them both, on night duty as a safeguard from sudden Sontaran attack. For the first time in a long while they were warm, fed and comfy, and they slept soundly the entire night. Every now and then the Doctor would mumble in his sleep as if ready to plunge into a nightmare – but Rose unconsciously would reach up and let her hand linger in his hair before he stopped mumbling and fell back into deep slumber.

Jack watched every moment, savouring it. It was there and then he decided that, if nothing else, he would use every resource he had – including immortality – to ensure the survival of his best friends.


	13. Go Fish

Night uneventfully turned into day.

Jack yawned and stretched widely, glancing at his time manipulator still strapped to his wrist. **10:36** , the digital clock read. He pushed himself onto two feet, looking over at the Doctor and Rose still sleeping peacefully on the sofa. He went to make some tea for them all.

By the time he got back with a tray of tea mugs and cereal, the Doctor and Rose were sitting up, rubbing their eyes and yawning. They practically dived for the tea, and by 11am everyone was finally fed, watered and alert. The Doctor shrugged on his coat and patted down his pockets, checking he had everything. After a moment he straightened, giving a broad smile to both his companions.

"Allons-y, then."

* * *

They met no one on the way, humans, Kevs or Sontarans alike. It was almost too easy as they sauntered into Hyde Park, only the Doctor knowing of their destination. He led them west through Hyde Park, following the Serpentine River until it started to bend. Suddenly the Doctor stopped, bending down to an apparent drain cover and taking out his sonic screwdriver, buzzing the cover open. With a grunt he lifted it, pushing it off to the side and peering down into the hole it revealed. Satisfied, he looked up at Jack and Rose.

"You can still turn back," he said simply.

Rose merely sighed, shaking her head. "Stayin'."

He gave a small smile, before reaching down into the blackness, gripping something. Seconds later, he had disappeared.

Jack and Rose exchanged a look, before swiftly following.

It took a moment before the humans' eyes adjusted to the light, but they then quickly realised they were in some kind of underground tunnel – not the sewers, which they had subconsciously expected – something that had been designed _specifically_ to be a tunnel.

Silently the Doctor passed the sonic up to Jack, who obediently took it and buzzed the fake drain cover sealed shut again. They were plunged into utter darkness. Seconds later a beam of light shot out from the darkness as the Doctor flicked on a torch, casting the bright beam around the tunnel. It was quite deliberately and very carefully constructed by human hands – there wasn't any corrosion or fungi in sight.

The Doctor threw back a grin at them in the low level of light. "The final stretch," he said simply, and then began to walk.

* * *

They continued in silence for another thirty minutes down the long, dark tunnel; never stopping. Just when Rose's legs were about to give way the end of the tunnel came into sight.

Rose stared, unable to believe the sight before her eyes. "Is that…?"

"A dead end," Jack said flatly.

"Patience, young apprentices!" the Doctor said mysteriously, still grinning away like the Cheshire Cat as he reached the wall. He handed the torch to Rose, gesturing for Jack to help him push the seemingly immovable wall. Inch by agonising inch the wall began to roll to the right, the sudden slice of light shocking Rose's eyes. It took two minutes before the gap in the wall was large enough for all three to get through and Rose was left with too very sweaty and exhausted men, panting for breath.

"It's called a gym," she said with a grin, slipping through the gap. The Doctor and Jack exchanged a look before swiftly following her.

Rose felt a little bit like she was going into Narnia as she drew back a large tapestry to reveal the room beyond. She had to suppress a gasp at the lavishly decorated room, hand-stitched sheets perfectly and neatly laid on the large double bed. It was spacious and bright, the light pooling in from a window as tall as a person.

"The Queen's bedroom!" the Doctor announced, beaming.

Rose stared at him. "You knew about a secret passage that goes into the Queen's _bedroom?"_ She raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Am I supposed to read into that?"

The Doctor blinked as Jack snorted, loudly. "No, it's not like that! Lizzie just loves playing 'Go Fish'…" Rose's eyebrow raised further. "Err… this isn't helping me, is it?" he said, scratching behind his ear nervously.

Rose rolled her eyes, leading the way over to the door. The Doctor pulled his sonic from his pocket once more, fiddling with the settings and pointing it up in the air.

"Got readings from a massive power source," he informed them.

"The shield generator?" Jack asked.

The Doctor nodded affirmation. "No doubt about it. I'm guessing it's in the Ball Room. Oh, and one more thing. Sontarans are fed by a probic vent in the back of their necks," the Doctor informed them, indicating the precise point with his palm. "One blow there knocks them out."

Jack and Rose nodded together as Rose moved to a nearby dressing table and picked up an expensive and heavy looking crafted metal hairbrush.

"Now," the Doctor's voice seemed to drop an octave, "I want to be in and out of here as quickly as possible. No messing around from anyone. If there's trouble, you both run back to this tunnel, shut the wall, and get out of London as quick as you can. No acts of heroism. Promise?"

Though neither of them wanted to agree with the idea of deserting each other, they both nodded.

"Good. Let's get going, then."

* * *

They roamed the dark halls of Buckingham Palace in tense silence, following the dull hum of the screwdriver as it led them in the direction of the shield's generator. It was ten minutes before the sonic started flashing frantically and they cautiously peeked around the corner to see a Sontaran marching back and forth outside the double doors they knew the shield generator sat behind.

The Doctor drew back quickly, raising an arm to prevent Jack and Rose walking any further. The Doctor gestured for Rose to hand him her weapon, trading her hairbrush for the sonic screwdriver. He peeked around the corner again, waiting for the opportune moment…

Suddenly the Doctor darted out quicker than light itself as the Sontaran turned and began his patrol in the opposite direction to them. The next thing Rose knew there was a loud clunk and a hissing sound as the hairbrush impacted with what she knew to be the probic vent. The Sontaran didn't even make a sound as he fell to the floor, his gun slipping out of his grasp.

"Stay back," the Doctor hissed to Jack and Rose urgently as he cautiously stepped over the fallen Sontaran and pressed his ear up against the door. Jack and Rose waiting with baited breath, afraid to break the Doctor's concentration. After a few moments he drew back up again, beckoning them over before taking his sonic back from Rose, giving the area one final scanning buzz. It beeped.

"In there?" Jack asked, and the Doctor nodded. He eased open the door, peeking inside for a moment before slipping in.

The room they entered was _massive._ What had the Doctor said? Ballroom? It certainly looked like it. A _huge_ room with expensive décor and a beautiful floor… only right now in the middle of it sat a giant metal contraption – the shield generator in all its glory.

They ran around the side, coming across a small grey panel with a number of buttons and a small screen mounted on it. The Doctor grinned happily.

"Jack, watch the door," he ordered, kneeling down in front of the panel and raising his hands, tapping away at the buttons with his hands a blur.

Rose watched, fascinated as he broke through firewall after firewall, hacking passwords in seconds. His brow furrowed as he concentrated, screen flashing faster and faster – so fast Rose had to look away as it was making her dizzy.

Five minutes passed of yet more tense silence, the Doctor working his way into the core of the shield generator. Suddenly Jack's eyes widened and he ran over to them both, whispering urgently, "they're coming!"

The Doctor seemed to pale, looking up at Jack for a moment before looking back down to the screen as the heavy synched footfalls grew louder and louder. "You two, get out of here. Get back to the camp and tell them it's done. Here," he dug into his pocket and held out the signaller, shoving it into Rose's hands. "When you get to the tunnel, activate it. Go, now."

"No," they both said together, shaking their heads. Jack even drew out his gun.

"You promised me!" the Doctor suddenly hissed, head jerking up again to look at them both with harsh eyes. They reeled in surprise – they were the kind of eyes he reserved especially for his enemies. "Run!"

Hearts hammering in their chests, they turned to flee – but suddenly the Sontarans spilled in through the doorway and turned to them, raising their guns…

"Stop!" the Doctor yelled, still hammering away at the keys. "Right at this moment I am hacking into the shield generator terminal and seeking out the encryption that triggers emergency shutdown so focus your attention on me!"

Two Sontarans grabbed Jack and Rose, restraining them as four more marched over to the Doctor.

"You will cease!" a Sontaran voice boomed but the Doctor ignored him, his hands still a blur…

"Ah haaa!" the Doctor yelled, springing back from the panel as the generator's hum of power died away to nothing. He turned to grin at the wall of Sontarans. They however were not happy. The apparent leader stepped forward and drew out his cane, pointing it directly at the Doctor's legs. An electric bolt shot out of the end and hit the Time Lord in his shins. He cried out in agony and fell forward to the floor.

"You have interfered, human! Execution!"

"Wait!" the Doctor called out from the floor, his voice wavering as pain coursed through his legs like wildfire. He knew soon that they would become completely numb and escape would be impossible. "If you kill me, you won't be able to get the shield back up!"

The Sontaran fumed, turning towards Jack and Rose held helpless.

"And if you kill either of them I'm not telling you!"

The Sontaran grunted angrily, throwing his cane to the floor and stepping forward, bringing a large, heavy boot straight down onto the Doctor's fingers spread on the floor. There were several very loud ensuing cracks.

"Now you cannot cause chaos in our systems!" he yelled over the Doctor's shouts of pain. "The situation will be assessed! Take the prisoners to separate confinement!"

Rose watched with tears in her eyes as the Sontarans roughly picked up the Doctor, dragging him across the floor as he continued to cry out from the agony in his fingers and his legs until he disappeared out the door. Rose was roughly shoved, the signaller the Doctor had given to her falling out of her hands – she hadn't pressed the button! Frantically she tried to dive for the signaller, but the Sontaran on her right had noticed it drop. He raised a foot and brought it straight down onto the small, precious device.

The Rebels would never know the shield was down.

"Get the hell off of me!" Jack was also held firmly by two Sontarans, yelling threats every step of the way before he also passed through the doorway. Rose was the last out of the door, and she just about caught the continuing cries of the Doctor fade away as she was taken in a different direction.

And that was the last time Rose saw Jack and the Doctor for ten days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you thought that maybe I was done whumping the Doctor... MUAHAHA! How wrong you were!


	14. No! Not The Mind Probe!

The Doctor awoke from enforced unconsciousness with a dry throat and a pounding headache. He was being roughly shaken by someone, his jaw held firmly in the grip of someone's hand. His eyes shot open to register a Sontaran looking down at him.

"The human is awake!" the Sontaran above him boomed, turning away from him.

"Barely," the Doctor murmured as the Sontaran let go of his jaw and his head hit the surface he was lying on with a loud 'thud!'. He examined his surroundings with interest – it was a relatively small room, lined with equipment the Sontarans had obviously dragged there themselves. He was laid on a flat surface with metal rings clamped around his wrists and ankles to prevent him from moving. All around the room buzzed Sontarans, connecting and reconnecting various wires to various machines, and as a result the Doctor already knew what they were going to do even before they said it.

"Prepare the mind probe. We need the information extracted with haste!"

A mind probe. The Doctor closed his eyes, and began to check his mind barriers were in place and fully intact. He wouldn't be able to beat the mind probe, but he might be able to hold them off for a while. He could already feel the Sontarans attaching wires to his head, jamming them through his flesh…

He kept building his barriers to as many layers as he could, making them as thick as possible. He buried himself further into his head, and quickly he began to lose sense of the physical world…

 _He was in his own mind, standing stock-still and looking over the horizon as if waiting for a bus. He could feel a sense of impending doom drawing closer, and closer…_

 _Suddenly something burst into his mind, crashing through the entrance and charging straight towards him as his subconscious made it take the form of a speeding train coming straight towards him. He braced himself for the impact with his hearts hammering in his chest…_

 _Abruptly his head exploded with pain as he was thrown backwards onto the floor. He had a vague sense of his physical body jerking a foot in the air. He panted for breath, completely stunned as he lay vulnerable on the floor of his mind. He couldn't do this… It was too strong, too powerful…_

 _Then the pain began as the mind probe hit his mental barriers, and began to drill through like a bulldozer through jelly, the pain becoming more and more intense as the seconds trickled by. He quickly reasserted himself. If he was going down, he was going down fighting._

 _The mind probe continued to drill into his brain, inch by agonising inch. Pain screamed from behind his eyes, making it feel as though his entire skull was on fire as all the time the same sentence was ringing repeatedly through his head…_

 _"Tell us."_

 _"NO!" he forced out, breathing heavily as the effort became more and more. "I won't tell you!"_

 _Suddenly there was a bright flash of burning white light somewhere in his mind and the Doctor felt his body involuntarily jerk, his limbs pressing against his heavy metal restraints. He needed to run and hide, he needed to get away…_

 _Suddenly it stopped. The mind probe's immense force disappeared abruptly and his entire body slumped as he gasped desperately for air._

 _"Hmm, The mind is unusually strong for a human's," a voice said in the distance. "Retreat for assessment of the situation. Feed it and water it. We want the physical body in good condition."_

 _The Doctor took a few moments to steady himself before he slipped back out of his mind and into the real world._

He opened his eyes again to a bustle of Sontarans standing over him, looking like they wanted nothing more than to shoot him and be done with it. He gave them all a weak grin.

"Oh well, better luck next time, eh?"

They bristled, but surprisingly none of them lost their temper before his hair was suddenly grabbed and his head pulled up, a jug of water pressing to his lips as he was force-fed. Next some stale bread was crammed into his mouth before the Sontarans began to filter out of the door, the light flicking off as the door closed and left him in total darkness and silence. Disgusted, he spat out the bread and let his eyes adjust to the light, struggling in his bonds for a few moments before realising that escape was impossible.

There was nothing he could do.

* * *

The Doctor lost count of the days that passed as for the infinite time the Sontarans attached the mind probe, trying desperately to get into his mind. Every time the Doctor would fight them off, but every time he could feel himself becoming weaker and weaker. It took everything he had not to fall asleep – as he knew if he did he would fall into a healing coma to try and mend the damage in his mind, and leave his mind completely open for the Sontarans to access. He knew he couldn't take much more as once again the probe was attached to his mind, and the battle began.

 _His barriers were cracking. He could feel them cracking underneath the strain. For a moment he considered just giving up, letting nature run its course and letting them find the information they wanted so desperately… but something was holding him back. He couldn't let them know how to do it. He couldn't quite remember what 'it' was at the present moment, but he knew they couldn't have it. So he pushed the probe back with every ounce of his remaining strength, fighting for all it was worth. The harder he pushed it, the more it seemed to push back, tears of pain and desperation were running down his cheeks as he screamed with the effort, his body and mind aching…_

 _He couldn't do it. He couldn't fight anymore… It hurt, he hurt, everything hurt… It was going to win…_

 _He messily scrambled through the ideas in his mind, praying and hoping that there was another option. The drill came closer and closer as his entire body screamed, his physical body arching its back as he let go of another cry of agony. Finally he grasped clumsily onto a possible get out clause, whether it was sensible he didn't have time to decide. He began to run to his barriers, and never had they seemed so far away. He could feel and hear the mind probe gaining behind him as he knew he had left his mind completely open to attack…_

 _He dived through the barriers of his mind to the inside, not even feeling himself land as everything seeped and faded away to nothing._

* * *

Rose had been pacing up and down for so long in her makeshift cell (that was in fact a very well decorated but slightly dusty bedroom) she was sure she was starting to wear a hole in the floor. The long days that came and went were marked only by the rising and setting of the sun and moon in turn outside the window. The Sontarans hadn't touched her – in fact they had been giving her basic food and drink three times a day – but she wasn't so sure if either the Doctor or Jack had the same luxury.

On the morning of the tenth day she awoke to the sound of a commotion outside the door of her cell.

"Hands off, shorty!"

Rose spread a grin for the first time in ten days as the very familiar voice came through the thin wood of the door. In seconds it had burst open and Jack Harkness was pushed roughly through, bellowing cocky insults every step of the way until he finally looked around… and caught sight of Rose.

"Rose!" he said in delight as they met in a long and loving hug.

"Have you seen the Doctor?" Rose asked instantly into his chest as the door slammed behind them. He shook his head. Rose bit her lip, pulling away from him again.

"Have they hurt you?" he asked quickly.

She shook her head. "They haven't said anythin', Jack. What if they're hurtin' him or…"

"Rose," he interrupted gently, hand on her shoulder. "The Doctor has been in this situation a million times before and you know that. If they are torturin' him then it wouldn't be the first time, and sure as hell he's fightin' like he always does."

She paused to take this in, eyes disconnecting from his before she nodded. Jack was cut off from saying anything else as the door burst open again. Rose and Jack watched in silence as four armed Sontarans marched in, two training their guns on Jack and Rose as the other two carried a body between them. It took Jack and Rose a second to register the Doctor's still form as it was thrown carelessly onto the floor and the Sontarans disappeared back out of the door.

Rose started forward instantly, dropping down next to the Time Lord and turning him over. She gasped, hand flying to her mouth in horror. He was completely rigid, his eyes open wide and staring right through her, not even flickering. Jack came to sit beside her, checking his hearts.

"Oh, God," Rose whispered, "it's rigor mortis…"

Jack shook his head. "No. He's still breathing and his hearts are fine, and look…" He hovered a hand over the Doctor's eyes for a moment before pulling it away again. The pupils dilated according. "I think he can see us."

"Doctor." Rose instantly leant forward into his direct line of vision. "It's okay, it's just us, Rose and Jack. You can wake up."

He didn't move a millimetre. Jack slid his arms beneath the Doctor's rigid body and lifted him up, moving him over to the bed and setting him down on it. Rose followed, taking the Doctor's unrelenting hand and squeezing it gently as she placed herself once again in his vision.

"Rose," Jack said quietly, pointing to penny-sized bloody red marks on each side of the Doctor's head, just inching into his hairline. Rose swallowed, already accurately guessing what may have happened.

"Did they try to get into his mind or somethin'?"

"Looks like the marks of some kinda high-tech mind probe, yeah. That'll explain this, then. He's sort of in a catatonic stupor, but deeply unconscious – like a trance – whilst at the same time fighting mentally with all he's got to protect his knowledge of how to fix the shield. Once his mind realises there's nothing fighting him anymore it'll shut down the protection and he'll wake up."

"How long will that take?" Rose asked, feeling slightly disturbed by the Doctor's unblinking eyes.

Jack shrugged in answer. "I just hope it's soon 'cause now we're all together we need to get the hell outta here."


	15. Waking The Dead

The Doctor suddenly jerked to awareness. Seemingly every single muscle in his body ached with cramp, his eyes were completely dry and his head throbbed madly with the biggest migraine he'd ever felt in his life.

"I won't tell you!" he yelled, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. He made to struggle against his bonds before he suddenly realised that he was no longer restrained. He opened his eyes again, and came face-to-face with the beaming face of Rose Tyler.

"Doctor, you're safe, you're okay!" She grinned in delight as suddenly he was engulfed in a huge, bone-crunching Rose Tyler hug.

"Ow, ow, ow, pain, ow…" the Doctor said feebly in her grip.

"Oh, sorry!" Rose said, not really sounding sorry at all as she let him have a little breathing space. He glanced around the room – it definitely wasn't the room he'd become accustomed to waking up in the past ten days. He was lying in a comfortable bed, his clothes loosened and the sheets pulled over him. He moved to sit up but the pain of his head and his muscles made him stop in mid-movement, grunting in pain.

"Where are we?" he asked as Jack also popped into his vision holding a pair of expensive-looking trousers and proceeding to rip it up into small pieces.

"Still in Buckingham Palace," Rose answered, drawing back from him and helping him to sit up against the pillows. "The Sontarans put us all together this morning."

The Doctor winced as Jack took his still injured hands – his fingers were now bruised and swollen, bent awkwardly in places – and began to wrap lengths of the destroyed trousers around the Doctor's fingers to immobilise them.

"Did they hurt either of you?" the Time Lord asked seriously, glancing between his two companions. They shook their heads in reply, and the Doctor breathed a very loud sigh of relief.

"What happened?" Rose finally asked.

"They tried to get inside my mind, a mind probe. It took everything I had to keep them out. I think we can assume they gave up…" He sighed and looked at his half-destroyed fingers. "Though they won't stop for long. With the shield down they're vulnerable, which means they're desperate and as a result more aggressive than usual. I've managed to protect you both so far but I don't know how long I can hold them off…" He winced again as Jack pulled firmly on a bandage. "What about the signaller?" He looked at Rose.

Her eyes disconnected from his, guilty. "It got knocked outta my hands," she said quietly. "The Sontaran stepped on it before I could get it back. It's broken. It never sent the signal. I'm really sorry," and she meant it.

The Doctor shook his head instantly. "Don't be. Wasn't your fault."

"But if I had… If I didn't…" She could've slapped herself for her own stupidity.

"C'mere," the Doctor said gently, taking her into a tight hug of reassurance. "It wasn't your fault, and I won't let you think that." He paused, stroking her hair back from her face as he pushed her away again, pulling back the cover of the bed he was lying in, inviting her in. "Get some sleep, you look tired."

Rose was far too exhausted to make any protest as she slipped in beside him, resting her head on his chest. For ten minutes the three friends sat in silence as Rose made herself comfortable beside him. Merely ten minutes later and Rose was sound asleep in the Doctor's arms.

"Just how bad was it?" Jack broke the silence, addressing the Doctor quietly, purposely avoiding waking Rose up.

The Doctor ran his hand through his hair, nodding almost imperceptibly.

"If they tried once more they would have found it," he said simply. "They must've panicked when I went into the trance and stopped."

"What d'you think they'll try next?" Jack asked, "physical torture?"

He nodded. "But I can handle that, as long as Rose isn't there. If Acenena repeats itself…" he trailed off, looking back down at the sleeping Rose.

"… What happened?" Jack asked, almost hesitantly.

The Doctor paused, taking in a breath as he comforted himself with the woman sleeping in his arms. "We were just there to watch the coronation… wrong place, wrong time. The Atrum Phasmatis, a terrorist-type organisation, assassinated him on the throne. Rose and I were accused of high treason – they didn't have any proof, but they wanted to get a confession out of us…"

Jack winced, knowing what was coming next.

"They didn't touch her, I made sure of that. But they made her watch what they did to me. It wasn't too bad, I've had worse, but it was her first experience. Eventually an eyewitness came forward and cleared us, the police said sorry and let us go. It took a while for us to bounce back. I fell into a healing coma for two days and when I woke up, she was a mess. She wouldn't go to sleep without me and panicked if I wasn't there when she woke up. I just don't want to have to put her through that again."

Jack nodded this time, understanding. For a few more moments they sat in silence, contemplating, before Jack's eyes flickered over the covers and he gave the Doctor a wide grin.

"Room for three in there?"

The Doctor glared at him, pulling back the cover for him to access. Eagerly Jack pulled off his boots and jumped in, beaming from ear-to-ear.

"Room for four?" Rose murmured, not half asleep but responding to what she thought was a conversation in her dreams.

"Sleep," the Doctor drawled flatly.

"How come she doesn't get evils for being suggestive?" Jack wondered after a pause.

"Want it spelled out for you?" the Doctor replied quietly.

Jack grinned to himself. He turned over and snuggled up to the Doctor, threading an arm around Time Lord's thin body. "In that case," he said close to his ear. "The Sontarans will have a much harder fight on their hands if they want a second round."

"You're hugging me," the Doctor realised slowly, eyes wide.

"I'm also breathing down your neck. Your point?"

The Doctor fell silent for a moment. "Go to sleep, Jack. In the morning you might actually have the strength to put up that fight you think you might have against the Sontarans."

Within minutes all three of them were asleep, snuggled together.

* * *

"What is the situation, private?" Commander Turr demanded to know as he marched up to the soldier guarding the door of the room where the prisoners were being held. The solider stood to attention, saluting his superior officer.

"We have extracted no information from the brown-haired male, sir," the soldier answered promptly. "He showed great resistance to the mind probe."

"Why did you not persist, soldier?" Commander Turr demanded, pulling his helmet off and glaring at the soldier still standing to attention in front of him. "The information he carries is vital to the advancement of the great Sontaran cause!"

"He showed signs of decreased consciousness, skin pallor, and heart palpitations, sir. This in humans is a sign of premature death. We assessed the situation and deemed the tactile solution would be to withdraw and allow him to recover."

Commander Turr paused for a moment, considering getting angry, but he dismissed it, and nodded approvingly.

"Good work, soldier. You are dismissed. I will handle the prisoners from here."

"Yessir," the soldier saluted again, before marching off down the corridor. Commander Turr beckoned his soldiers surrounding him as he pushed open the door to the dark interior within.

* * *

The Doctor was rudely awoken from a dream about chocolate muffins when the door of the room burst open and heavy footfalls rang out.

"Morning already?" the Doctor asked tiredly from beneath the mess of limbs of the still sleeping Rose and Jack. The latter was snoring loud enough to wake the dead.

"Stand!"

Neither Jack nor Rose showed any sign of having heard as the Doctor struggled beneath their accumulated body weights. "Bit difficult right now," the Doctor said with an apologetic grin and a shrug, inclining at Jack and Rose with his head. To make a point he prodded one of his unbroken fingers into Jack's ribs – the ex-Time Agent snorted and batted away the finger in a half-sleep before the snoring resumed.

"Stand prisoners!" Suddenly the guards behind the Commander drew their guns and pointed them at the three. The Doctor sighed and shook Rose and Jack's shoulders.

"Wakey, wakey, daybreaky!" the Time Lord said cheerily as the two humans groaned their way to coherence. The Doctor pulled back the cover and struggled to move out from beneath the tangled bodies of the people he dared to call his best friends before he was finally on his feet. Avoiding putting pressure on his fingers he slid his arms under a groggy Rose Tyler and pulled her upright. Her head lolled onto his chest as she wormed her arms around him, treating him like an upright pillow.

"Don't wanna get up," she murmured into his chest.

"Well you're gonna have to 'cause some nasty brutish Sontarans are pointing their guns at us."

"Who cares, I'm sleepy," she replied, still clinging onto him.

"Move away from the female!" the Commander demanded, pulling out a cane not dissimilar to the one the Sontaran had used on the Doctor days previously. The Doctor instantly held up a hand in surrender, moving away from Rose who became rapidly alert to the Doctor's unease.

"Will you impart information, human?" the Commander asked, his tone harsh as Jack got to his feet next to the Doctor and Rose.

"No," the Doctor replied firmly. Jack and Rose glanced at him, his determined expression filling them with confidence.

"This is your last chance to part your intelligence before we are forced to find an alternative means of persuasion." The Commander then paused, as if letting this sink in. "Will you impart information, human?"

"No," the Doctor said again, just as firmly as the previous one in spite of knowing what would happen next.

The Commander's expression was still hidden by his helmet, but it was most surely now one of anger and impatience as he turned to his troops still flanked behind him.

"Bring them."

"No," the Doctor repeated a third time, and then gestured to Jack and Rose next to him. "They do not come. They don't have the information you need and hurting them will make it less likely for me to tell you."

"There must be one more human present, as witness."

"The male," the Doctor said quickly. "The male must be witness, and the female remain untouched."

"Your terms are accepted, human. Bring the two males for interrogation."

Within moments the Sontaran troops moved forwards, restraining the Doctor and Jack before pulling them both over to the door. Rose's eyes connected with the Doctor's, his deep brown orbs conveying a great sadness. They were the eyes he used when he uttered the immortal words, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.' The Doctor knew what was going to happen, and so did Rose. She once again blinked back tears as her two boys were dragged out of the room, and once again she was alone, miserable, and utterly terrified.


	16. In A Rutan Fancy Dress Costume

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning... Doctor torture!

Jack and the Doctor were bodily hauled through corridor after corridor, never stopping yet equally not knowing where they were going. After ten minutes of being dragged the climatic build up of fear had quickly dissipated for the Doctor, who had then started making casual innocuous comments as they progressed. The Sontarans could only stand two minutes of his commentary and gave him a hefty slap for his troubles.

They reached their destination, and together the Doctor and Jack were thrown onto the ground, the Sontarans assuming appropriate formation around them. Jack glanced at the Doctor, and the Doctor gave him a wan smile.

"Whatever happens, we were expecting it," he whispered simply, the beginnings of a black eye forming on his face.

Jack nodded. "At least Rose is safe, that's all that matters," he replied.

"Stop conferring!" a voice suddenly boomed from the side and the Doctor received another whack around the head, grunting as he fell to the floor.

"Stop doing that! I'm fragile!" he protested, pushing himself up again. Hands grabbed him from behind and hauled him upright, pinning his arms behind his back as they dragged him roughly to the middle of the room, throwing him back down on the floor again. He barely had time to get up before something cold was pressed against his spine and suddenly lethal volts coursed through his body. He cried out in both surprise and pain, convulsing as Jack watched, the immortal man gritting his teeth and struggling not to run forward and push the Sontarans away from his best friend.

Seconds later the rod was taken away again and the Doctor laid panting on the floor for a moment before he managed to push himself up onto his knees again.

"Oh please," he said, rolling his eyes. "Put some effort into it."

The Sontaran standing behind him did exactly that, jamming the rod into the Doctor's back again as more volts were released through the Time Lord's body. This time the Sontaran didn't seem to want to stop as seconds ticked by of the Doctor's cries and convulses, Jack's heart getting faster and faster before the rod was taken away again. The Doctor was amazingly still on all fours, panting for breath.

"Who taught you how to torture? Your mum?" he gasped through pants for air.

The Sontaran jabbed the rod in again, not really knowing what a mum was, but knowing the phrase meant offence. The Doctor began to scream once again, his face screwed up in agony whilst he continued to convulse. This time the Sontaran didn't stop for thirty seconds. By the end the Doctor could barely hold himself up, blinking rapidly as his vision began to swerve…

"That tickled," he stated, a grin spreading on his otherwise pain-wracked face. When the Sontaran jammed the rod between his shoulder blades again, Jack knew it was only bad news…

The Doctor screamed and convulsed for two entire minutes. Jack knew it was two minutes, because he counted _every_ second that ticked by. When it was over the Doctor laid weakly on the floor, barely having the strength to do anything but breathe as his body continued to twitch for several seconds after.

"Won't tell you, won't tell you…" he murmured into the floor. A heavy boot was next pressed on his back, easily pinning him against the ground. Jack watched in trepidation as the Sontaran the boot belonged to equipped himself with a heavy metal pole.

"How do we reactivate the shield?" the Sontaran asked, making sure the Doctor could see the pole in his grip.

"You say three magic words whilst doing pirouettes in a Rutan fancy dress costume," the Doctor replied casually. The Sontaran didn't hesitate as he raised the pole above the Doctor.

Jack couldn't stop himself. "No!" he yelled without even meaning to. The Sontarans raising the pole stopped in surprise, looking at Jack still knelt across the room. No matter. In moments he had raised the pole again, but now Jack had started he couldn't stop himself. "Hurt me instead!"

"No!" the Doctor gasped from the floor. "If you're making threats to me then at least have the honour to go through with it. Eh, General? Where _is_ your honour? Your dignity? Do it."

The Sontaran fumed. "How dare you, human!" And with that, he raised his weapon to strike, the Doctor closing his eyes and gritted his teeth, taking a sharp intake of breath…

"No!" Jack yelled again, but it was already too late as the weapon fell, and connected with its intended target.

Jack winced, firmly closed his eyes and turned his head away, but the sound of the Doctor's body breaking seemed to suddenly become louder and louder with each repeated strike. Jack didn't even need to count the seconds this time as the beatings counted the seconds for him. It was sixty hits, sixty seconds before the metal pole stopped hitting the helpless body and Jack eased open his eyes, afraid of what he was going to see.

Instantly he wished he hadn't looked. The Doctor was sprawled out completely still on the floor in front of him, patches of blood visible on the probably once insanely expensive carpet. The Doctor's eyes, long since closed in what Jack had presumed to be unconsciousness, amazingly opened again, though now sunken and bruised.

"Information," the Sontaran stated more than asked, as if he already assumed the Doctor was going to give up and tell him.

"No," the Doctor replied simply, sounding as though he was having trouble breathing.

Jack closed his eyes again as the metal pole raised once again above the Doctor's prone body. Jack had tortured life-forms himself. He knew how much it hurt, the best methods and places to achieve the highest amount of pain, the length of time it usually took for the victim to break… how long until the victim died from their injuries afterwards if they were not treated quickly. It was no secret that he loved the Doctor as a true best friend, and seeing him being tortured by methods he'd used himself was just a little too much to bear.

When the next bout came to a close, Jack couldn't even bring himself to turn his head in the general direction. There was total silence from both the Doctor and the Sontaran.

"He has fallen into a deep sleep," the Sontaran suddenly concluded.

Jack forced himself to open his eyes and look at the body in front of him. Bruises had formed fast on the Doctor's face, dark and ugly against pale skin. The red stain of blood on the carpet was slowly but surely creeping towards him, and he dully wondered just how much blood a Time Lord could lose before going into shock.

Suddenly Jack found himself being pushed roughly towards the Doctor, a gruff Sontaran voice in his ear as something cold pressed into his back. "Reassure him and wake him up, human, or I will shoot you!"

"Shoot me all you like, I'm not gonna wake him up so he can be tortured again!" Jack said firmly back, giving the Sontaran the most determined gaze he had ever given in his life.

The Sontaran seemed unfazed. "Then he is of no use to us if he sleeps forever. We will shoot him."

Jack swallowed. He had absolutely no choice. He shrugged off the grip of the Sontaran behind him before dropping to his knees beside the Doctor, quickly checking his pulse. Yes. He was still going. Just about.

"Will," he coaxed gently with the alias he had given him in the hospital. There must have been a reason the Sontarans still referred to the Doctor a human – the Doctor hadn't mentioned to them at all what his name or species was. Jack rolled the Doctor onto his back as carefully as he could so as not to disturb his already blatantly obvious injuries. Bones that should have been in one piece were now broken in several places. He struggled not to break as the Doctor's limp body lolled uselessly about in his arms, Jack feeling the Time Lord's blood begin to spread over his clothes and arms where he cradled his broken body. "Will, wake up."

The Doctor's brow furrowed slightly before his eyes eased open to meet Jack's. He seemed to relax at the sight of him as Jack reached up to trace a finger over the most angry-looking bruise on his face.

"Make it stop…" the Doctor muttered weakly. "Make it stop, Jack…"

Jack bit his lip and swallowed. "It'll be over soon."

"Move, human!" a Sontaran voice sounded from behind Jack again as he was dragged away from the Doctor. They dropped down next to the Time Lord, shielding what they were doing from Jack's view. Seconds later one straightened.

"His heart is beating perfectly adequately," the Sontaran announced, but Jack's eyes widened in fear. Heart? They hadn't detected his second heart? That meant it had stopped beating… The Doctor was in serious trouble.

"Very good," the Commander replied. "Continue."

From then on the Doctor's screams of pain only seemed to cease in the minutes where the Sontarans located their next torture device.

* * *

Rose was pacing again.

It was all she could do to keep herself occupied, but still the images of the Doctor being badly tortured on Acenana were running through her mind like a film on repeat. The sky had become dark again by the time they returned.

They were escorted in by six armed Sontarans, Jack heavily supporting the Doctor who looked like he had been thrown into a blender.

"Help me," Jack gasped to Rose, his eyes wide and terrified like Rose had never seen them before. She jumped forward instantly, helping to support the half-conscious Doctor on the other side as they made it to the bed and laid him down onto it.

"The idiot!" Jack yelled, slamming his fist on the cover of the bed when the door had slammed shut behind them. "He provoked them! He _made_ them torture him!" Rose had rarely seen Jack so upset. "He should let them hurt me, instead! I can heal instantly! He can't!"

"Jack!" Rose said quickly, trying to take control of the situation that had left Jack in pure horror as she reached for potential bandages in the drawer next to her. "If they find out about your thing then they'll use that against the Doctor to break him!"

Jack's eyes were still full of fury, staring at the Doctor now completely pale, limp and unresponsive. "Yeah, like he isn't broken enough already!"

Rose paused in wrapping a makeshift bandage around what was obviously a badly broken arm. "Jack, please…" Rose got to her feet, pausing in her medical attentions as she gave Jack a hard stare. "He'll be okay. He's always okay. He needs us now, like he needed me on Acenana."

Jack's eyes averted to her's, seeing the strength and will in Rose Tyler's gaze. He had expected her to react to this situation even more hysterically then he had, but she was surprisingly keeping her cool.

"Acenana really made you grow up, didn't it," he stated more than asked.

She nodded. "When he's like this he needs me to be strong, not screaming and crying, and believe me…" She paused, looking at the Doctor's bruised face. "I want to. I really do." She checked his hearts. "Only one's beating…."

Jack nodded, trying to push the images of what had just happened out of his mind and assume authority. "If we keep him warm and stop the bleeding he may make it through the night."

"You find some blankets, and I'll bandage him up."


	17. The Ultimatum

Dawn broke and Rose was still awake.

She'd spent the entire night bandaging up the Doctor, checking he was still breathing and if both of his hearts were going. She was dead on her feet, wanting so badly to sleep but paranoid if she closed her eyes even for one second the Doctor would die. He was cocooned in layers of blankets with makeshift bandages wrapped around nearly every patch of skin, some of which still had blood seeping through even now. She was then completely surprised when the Doctor opened his eyes.

"Doctor," she said quickly, Jack joining her with the tray of food and drink the Sontarans had supplied them with that morning. "Can you hear me?"

"I'm not deaf, y'know," he replied, raising a small smile. Relief coursed through Rose like a refreshing drink on a hot summer's day as she smiled back.

"Can you sit up?" she asked.

He groaned slightly. "I don't even want to try."

"Hold still." She retrieved the bread from Jack's tray and ripped a piece off, feeding it into his mouth. He chewed slowly, closing his eyes again as Rose and Jack gazed at his bruised and swollen face. He swallowed with a wince. Rose next picked up the bowl of water and helped him take a few sips before gently lowering his head back onto the pillows where he relaxed, breathing slowly and deeply.

"Do you need anythin' else?" Rose asked.

"A really stiff drink?" Jack proposed, raising a small, but for once tentative grin.

The Doctor raised a half-smile at this, which rapidly faded as his pain-wracked body made its protest. Before he had the chance to reply there came the distant sound of marching boots of what could only be oncoming Sontarans.

"No…" the Doctor muttered, moving his badly-injured arms slightly over his chest in some futile attempt to protect himself. "No more…"

The door almost burst off of its hinges as the Sontarans marched inside, regarding the situation before two marched up to the bed the Doctor was lying in.

"No!" Rose yelled instantly, throwing herself over the Doctor's broken body to protect him as Jack even armed himself with a vase from the bedside table, teeth gritted.

"Your resistance will prove futile, humans!" one of the Sontarans bellowed as another grabbed Rose and hauled her off of the Doctor, restraining her easily in his grip. Another two went for Jack, who instantly began to swing his weapon in whatever direction he saw a flash of movement. There was a cry and a shriek from one of the Sontarans as Jack had someone managed to deal a direct hit to the back of its neck, but the vase had shattered on impact and suddenly Jack was weaponless. He threw out his fists on impulse, but the Sontarans quickly restrained him too, pinning him against the wall. The two companions could only watch as two Sontarans took hold of the Doctor, not caring for his cries of pain as they carried him roughly between them and out of the door. Both Rose and Jack were given a stunning blow to the side of their heads, and by the time they had recovered the door had slammed shut behind the departing Sontarans.

Jack pushed himself onto his feet, jogging over to Rose sitting up against the wall. "Rose! You okay?"

She nodded, if but a little dazed. He pulled her upright, checking she really was okay before his face turned to absolute fury as he turned to look at the door.

"They can't do this! He'll die if he goes through anymore!"

"Jack, he'll be okay, he will, he's always okay…" Rose said quietly, though she wasn't exactly sure if she was trying to reassure Jack or convince herself.

* * *

It was two hours before Jack and Rose heard the sound of marching footsteps once more. Instantly they both jumped to attention, Rose sitting up on the bed with her clutch tightly around the pillow the Doctor had been using. The door burst open again. But this time the Doctor was being carried on a wooden door, his eyes open and his mouth in a grin as he caught sight of Jack and Rose. He seemed a lot more energetic than earlier.

Silently the Sontarans gently lowered the Doctor to the bed, where Jack and Rose quickly helped to shift him off of the door and onto the covers.

"You have ten of your Earth minutes to decide," the apparent leader of the Sontarans said simply, before all the Sontarans withdrew and left Rose, Jack and the Doctor alone in the room. Instantly the fretting began.

"You're okay, yeah?" Rose asked him, pulling the blankets over the Time Lord and tucking him in.

"They didn't torture you?" Jack asked.

"No," the Doctor answered. "Far from it. They gave me medical treatment… To the best of a Sontaran's knowledge about human physiology, anyway."

Rose pulled back his ripped shirt to reveal fresh, new bandages wrapped around his ribs. She next pulled back his sleeves to find more wraps of bandages around his arms.

"But that wasn't the reason they took me. We've got ten minutes to decide… well, nine minutes twenty-eight seconds now."

"Ten minutes to decide? Decide what?" Jack asked.

"They gave me an ultimatum." He shifted slightly, gazing at Jack and Rose in turn. "They know they can't get me to tell them how to reinitialise the shield, so they'll kill us. But first they're putting me on a camera that will broadcast to the world, all across the Rebel frequencies, and if I tell the world the shield is still up, they'll keep us alive. But if I tell the world the shield is down…" He paused. "They'll shoot all three of us on the spot."

"Tell them it's down," Rose said instantly.

"You'll die," the Doctor said quietly.

"I know."

"But…"

She sighed, heavily. "Doctor, if I have to give you another speech I will."

"I'm with Rose," Jack said after a moment. "Our lives don't matter. We've gotta get rid of the Sontarans and reclaim Earth for the humans."

The Doctor looked at both his companions, his eyes shining with both pride and sadness.

"I'm so glad I met you two."

* * *

"General, are you sure this is a wise stratagem?" Commander Turr asked.

General Pugg turned to look at the Commander with a critical gaze. "Are you questioning my tactics, Commander Turr?"

"No, sir," Turr said quickly, giving an impromptu salute. "But are you certain we can we rely on this human to say the shield is still enabled?"

The General threw back his head in a roar of laughter, chest heaving. "The human species are selfish, Commander Turr. Know this. One thing they fear is their own deaths, and that is their greatest weakness. The human will save his own worthless hide and that of his friends, there is no doubt."

Commander Turr saluted again. "Very good, sir." With another salute he turned and marched from the room. With what the General had said in mind, Turr checked his gun before marching off down the corridor to retrieve the human.

The Rebels had sat in front of the communications system for almost two weeks now, waiting for the all clear from the Doctor that the shield was down – the transmission that looked like it was never going to come. They would never give up waiting, but deep down in all their hearts they knew there was no hope left.

Jackie Tyler was on monitor watching duty that day, her worry for her daughter and her friends getting increasingly larger. She'd never admit it but she had grown fond of this version of the Doctor, and at the best of times she even saw him as a son. She winced at the thought.

She was hardly paying attention when the screen crackled into life. The thing that made her jump up was the sudden sound of distorted voices in the white noise. Her head snapped up to see only white noise on the monitor, but she was already poking her head out of the door, yelling for the Rebels. Within seconds they were in the room, gathered around the monitor.

"It's an incoming transmission," Dave realised, adjusting the systems slightly.

The monitor adjusted to a picture. Jackie gasped. It was the Doctor. He was kneeling in the middle of a room with his hands tied together in front of him, cuts and bruises littering his visible skin, his clothes torn and blooded. They could obviously see the amount of pain he was in.

"What the hell 'ave they done to 'im?"

No one answered.

The Doctor's eyes flickered around the room before fixing on the camera. He gave a pained smile, which quickly had to disappear as he winced in pain.

 _"We were caught,"_ he said in a voice wracked with pain. _"We got into the Sontaran Headquarters and they caught us."_

His eyes flickered around again, looking at an enemy they couldn't see.

 _"We reached the Shield Generator. We found the control panel."_ He paused. His eyes flickered once more. _"The shield is… is… the shield…"_ His eyes flickered for the last time, his jaw set, the corners of his mouth tightening. _"The shield is down! It's down! They can't get it back up! Attack now! Att-"_

There was a sudden blast of bright light and right before their eyes the Doctor cried out and fell to the floor.

The transmission ended on the image of the unmoving Doctor, and Jackie Tyler burst into tears.


	18. Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Fire

"Is the Doctor dead?" Jackie asked, feeling ever so slightly numb. "Did… Did they shoot him?"

No one answered her.

Jackie sniffed back the tears, despair filling her. "Maybe… he just fainted… or somethin'… Maybe he's okay…"

Again, no one answered.

"And what about Rose and Jack? Are they okay?"

Silence.

Dave slowly reached for the communications system and tapped a key, selecting Harriet Jones. Within seconds the familiar sight of a very grave Harriet Jones came into focus on the monitor.

"Did you receive the transmission?" she asked, her usually calm voice somehow wavering.

"Yes," Dave replied, still tapping at the system.

Harriet Jones nodded. "All of the Rebel network received it."

"There's nothing for it, we attack now."

"We'll make peace, in honour of the Doctor," Harriet Jones said simply.

"The Doctor," Dave repeated firmly with a single nod of his head.

* * *

Rebel armies from across the world were poised, ready to attack very close to the Sontaran base. They'd been waiting for almost two weeks for a sign from the Doctor, and they had almost given up. But now it was happening. The transmission had been received, and it was suddenly now or never.

The Doctor and his friends had died to deactivate the shield, and the Rebels were not going to let the opportunity go to waste. This was it, the final attack. There was no going back.

The Rebel armies of a hundred nations were ready for battle. Out of the shadows the Kevs joined their ranks, and finally united, humanity began to advance.

* * *

Jack and Rose sat on the bed in the cell in silence, holding each other tightly in apprehension. They'd heard the shot – the Doctor was almost certainly dead by now, probably too quick for regeneration. Next it was their turn.

But they were ready. They had made their decision, and they could only hope that the Rebels had got the message.

They heard marching boots from outside their room, the bellows of an angry Commander preceding him. The door crashed open and five Sontarans stood there, the Commander at the front with a very angry expression on his face.

"Shoot them both!"

The Sontarans raised their guns, and took aim. Both Jack and Rose closed their eyes, waiting for the inevitable…

And then the room exploded.

Rose screamed and clung onto Jack, who threw himself over her to protect her as the walls around them seemed caved inwards in several deafening crashes.

Jack raised his head to the sight of a completely destroyed wall, the Sontarans that had been about to shoot them strewn out on the floor, dead. As the dust began to settle a figure stepped into the doorway, staring at the two as they recovered their senses.

"You all right?" a voice asked, and Rose stared at him in shock.

"It's…"

"Yes, I know, it's me," the man replied with a wry smile, adjusting the bazooka in his grip. Rose had recognised the blond hair and cut up face, his unusual forest green eyes. This was the man that had rescued her from the Kevs back when they had first landed. "Come on, the attack's started and I don't want you both getting caught in the crossfire!"

Jack gave Rose a hand up and they picked their way through the rubble to reach the blond man, who immediately turned and made to set off.

"No, wait!" Rose said quickly, "we have to find the Doctor."

"Where is he?" the man asked as the screams and battle cries of Sontarans and humans alike rang out from beyond the walls.

"Near here," Jack assured him. "We heard the shot, he's close."

The man frowned for a moment, indecisive. The Doctor was dead. He'd only be one extra weight to carry…

"Please," Rose whispered, pleading as the building shook with the impact of a bomb from outside, but she wasn't thinking about that right now. "We have to find his body…"

The man closed his eyes, trying to decide, before eventually nodding. "Okay."

Jack and Rose glanced at each other before running off down the corridor, the guns and shouts still just beyond the walls. They checked every room, ignoring ones that were locked and tearing down the ones that weren't without any care of the danger of lurking Sontarans.

Rose came to a door at the end of the corridor, slightly ajar. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw a body topped by messy brown hair, still and silent. She couldn't make her arm move to open the door; her entire body utterly paralysed in what she could only deem to be shock. Another few silent seconds passed them by before Rose regained control of her body, and she quickly but gently pushed open the door to reveal the room inside.

It was definitely the Doctor. The boyish, manic version of her Doctor, still with his brown eyes and brown hair and tall, thin frame – he hadn't regenerated. He lay on the floor on his front, his head turned away from them with his bound arms pinned awkwardly beneath him, his legs also bound at the ankles.

The tears began to well as she stared at the body in complete disbelief. Even though she had been expecting it, she had been ready to die with him. But now she was the one that lived on as the greatest man in the universe lay dead, broken and bound in a wrecked building in a destroyed city on planet Earth.

"Doctor?" Rose asked, hoping to the God she didn't believe in that maybe… just maybe…

The Doctor's eyes snapped open. "Rose!"

She almost jumped out of skin as the Doctor turned over to look at her, indicating his bound wrists with his head. "Quick! Undo the ropes! Get me out of this jacket!"

Rose was far too stunned to resist, running over to the man she had believed to be dead but two seconds ago and reaching inside his jacket pocket, drawing out the sonic screwdriver as the building shook around them in another blast. She turned it to the appropriate setting – it wasn't the first time she'd had to sonic apart some ropes that bound the Doctor in their adventures – and within seconds they had fallen away and Rose and Jack quickly struggled to undo the buttons on his jacket before they finally managed to pull it off.

"Throw it towards the wall!" the Doctor yelled from the floor and she did so. From nowhere something red blasted out of the jacket and straight into the aforementioned wall, leaving a splash of black burnt wallpaper and a small hole.

"Whew!" the Doctor exclaimed happily a Rose stared at the singe mark on the wall, before slowly turning to face the Doctor still lying on the floor, wounded, but happy.

"What…" she began, but then dismissed it, raised a huge smile and gave him a massive hug instead, being careful not to disturb his injuries. Jack quickly joined in the group hug, grinning from ear-to-ear as sheer relief coursed through them all. "Time Lord super powers, right?"

"Time Lord fabric," he replied in a muffled voice, squashed between two people. "Bigger on the inside. It was travelling through my layers of fabric in my coat and jacket all that time and I just had to get it off before it got right through."

"But if you knew that… You also knew you could have survived while Rose died," Jack murmured.

"Let's just say I had an inkling we would all get through," the Doctor replied, smiling mischievously.

"And you didn't bother tellin' us?" The mood had quickly turned ugly as Rose pulled back, staring at him murderously.

"I didn't know for sure!" the Doctor protested.

"We have to move, now," interrupted a voice from the doorway and they looked up to find the blond man glancing edgily around him, two handguns now in his grip with the bazooka slung over his shoulder.

Rose quickly buzzed the ropes around the Doctor's ankles, carefully helping him to his feet where he leant heavily on her, blinking rapidly as the pain of his other injuries came back in bucket loads. Jack moved in to help support him. They made slow progress to the doorway, where the blond man was still standing, glancing around them.

"This way!" he indicated with a nod of his head. They followed him out, managing to get halfway down the corridor before there was another explosion from very close to them, throwing them all off of their feet. Jack quickly threw himself over the Doctor, protecting him from the debris that peppered them.

"This place is gonna collapse!" Jack yelled over the barrage of gunfire as he slid his arm around the Doctor and hauled him upright. He looked even more agonised than before. "Rose? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" she replied, getting up again and helping to support the Doctor as they struggled over the fallen rubble of the half-destroyed palace around them to the blond man already standing and waiting.

The building shook again. The Doctor stumbled, slipping to his knees and moaning in pain as his own weight became too much for him to bear.

"C'mon, Doc!" Jack urged, pulling him up again as the ceiling creaked dangerously above their heads.

"Kill all of the resistance!" a voice suddenly yelled from behind them and they spun around to find a wave of Sontarans running towards them with their guns raised, their expressions absolutely elated in the delight of a battle.

"Shit!" Jack cursed, panic rising within him as they got progressively closer and closer…

The blond man threw out an arm, holding them back. "I'll handle this. You all get out."

"But…" Rose began, but he was already skipping over the rubble to the Sontarans, yelling and waving his guns around in a battle cry. The entire corridor was instantaneously alive with gunfire, the blond man screaming and firing bullets at the aliens he had once been afraid of.

"This is for my wife, Jess, and our baby!"

Jack suddenly felt a cold wave of realisation in him as the Kev in the hospital flashed in his eyes. But it was too late. The man grabbed his bazooka and fired. When the smoke cleared two of the five Sontarans were left. They raised their guns, and fired.

Then there was only silence.

It only lasted a brief second, however.

"KILL THE RESISTANCE!"

Jack and Rose bodily hauled the Doctor through the corridor in a desperate attempt to escape. Jack risked a glance over his shoulder, alarmed to find the two Sontarans pursuing them, getting closer, and closer, and closer…

Another almighty crash threw them once again off of their feet, coughing and choking on the dust. When it cleared Jack looked up from where he lay on the floor, expecting to see the two Sontarans standing over them – but the only thing he saw was what had once been the ceiling now scattered on the floor, exactly where the Sontarans had been two seconds ago.

"They're dead," Jack said quickly, getting to his feet as Rose helped up the groaning Doctor behind him. "We've gotta get out!"

He began to run forward with the intent to scout for an exit, but another ominous creak sounded from over their heads. The ceiling shifted.

"RUN!" Jack yelled, but it was too late as with a colossal crash, the ceiling collapsed on top of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This went under about 3 rewrites, the first was an anti-climax, the second was complete fantasy and the third is this one... Inspired by events from Doctor Whom!


	19. Lo'irak

Jack woke up with a gasp – it was this way he knew he'd been killed by the collapse. Instantly he opened his eyes, fear filling him at the possibility of what had happened to the lesser immortal Doctor and Rose. It took him a few minutes to push the fallen debris off of him, grunting and gasping all the way.

"Doctor! Rose!" he hissed as he got to his feet. If he yelled any louder what was left of the ceiling might collapse even more. "Answer me!" Nothing.

He clambered over what had been the infrastructure of the building, eyes searching desperately for any signs of life. They had been right behind him…

Five minutes of silence passed before he found a hand sticking out of the rubble – the hand of the Doctor.

"Doc, hold on, I'm getting you out!" Jack began to shift the stone from around his best friend, three minutes passing until it finally revealed the unconscious Doctor, fresh blood seeping from yet another wound on his head. Jack quickly checked for a pulse, only breathing a sigh of relief when he felt the rhythmic sensation under his fingertips.

"Can you hear me? Doctor?" Jack said gently, cradling the Time Lord in his arms.

The Doctor moaned in pain, his eyes opening to meet the sight of Jack. His pupils were dilated and unfocused in the sure signs of concussion.

"What happened?" he asked drowsily.

"The ceiling caved in. Get out, I'll find Rose."

The Doctor blinked, looking around him. "She was right next to me."

"Get out," Jack repeated. "I'll find her."

The Doctor paused, looking a little more than confused. "… What happened?"

"Doc, you're concussed. I'll find Rose, just get out of here."

The Doctor tried to sit up, but cried out and collapsed again halfway up. He paused again, looking around frantically. "Where's Rose?"

Jack gritted his teeth and slid his arms underneath the Time Lord, lifting him up whilst trying desperately to ignore the Doctor's cries of pain. He carried him over to a clear area on the floor a few metres away. The ceiling ominously creaked overhead.

"I'll find Rose," Jack repeated again. "Get up when you can and get out."

Jack ran back over to the rubble he'd found the Doctor in, relieved to have found him alive and vaguely coherent. His concussion and injuries would heal… at least they would if Jack got him medical treatment, and quickly.

He began the long process of lifting debris again, trying desperately to find Rose. Just when he thought his arms were going to give out there came a low moan from somewhere on his right.

"Rose? Rose can you hear me?"

"Jack…"

"Rose, keep calling!" Jack implored as he shifted more rubble. Finally he found some blonde hair and a minute later he was staring at the broken but conscious body of Rose Tyler. His heart lurched in panic whilst he kept reassuring her, lifting her up and taking her over to where he'd left the Doctor. The Time Lord was now leaning up against the nearest wall, eyes closed, breathing heavily.

"The entrance is blocked," he gasped, looking as though he was about to pass out. "Did the ceiling cave in…?" he paused, swallowed as the pain took him in its grip. "I can't…"

Jack bit his lip, staring at the sight as the Doctor slid down the wall and to the floor, groaning in pain. Neither Rose nor the Doctor could walk and he couldn't carry them both around looking for a way out… But he would not break the promise he had made to himself back in the hotel.

"Okay, Doctor, I'm gonna go look for an exit. Look after Rose."

For the first time the Doctor looked up and saw the injured Rose limp in Jack's arms. He stared in disbelief. Jack put her on the ground next to the injured Time Lord before turning and hopping over the debris, disappearing from sight. The Doctor grunted as he pulled himself over to Rose, agony coursing through him and making it feel like his entire body was on fire.

"Rose," he whispered, cupping her face in his hand. Her eyes half-opened, looking up at him with a weakness in her gaze. "I'm really sorry… The ceiling must've caved in… I didn't protect you. I failed."

She raised a small smile, which quickly faded as she reached up to cup his face in return. "You could never fail me, Doctor," she whispered simply, caressing his cheek. She paused, as she winced in pain from her injuries. "It hurts."

"Please hold on," the Doctor whispered back, his voice breaking as tears began to well in his eyes. "You have to. Please. We'll get out and I'll find some medical supplies and you'll be fine… I'm a Doctor, I'm a Doctor…"

"You're  _my_  Doctor," she whispered back, quickly becoming weaker and weaker. "I can't hold on…"

"No, Rose, please don't die… I can heal this… I promise…"

"Doctor…"

"This isn't the end, not here, not now, please Rose… please… I need you…"

"I love you," she whispered.

The Doctor could almost feel his hearts tearing in two. He couldn't even find the words to speak as she raised another small smile at him. "I…" the Doctor choked, "I… I love you too."

But it was too late. Her eyes were already closed, her hand dropping limply to her side.

With the ceiling still falling in around them the Doctor held the human woman to him, tears pouring down his face as he gently rocked back and forth.

"I found an exit!" Jack's voice came as he picked his way through the rubble towards them. "C'mon Doc, we've gotta move!"

He rested his hand on the Time Lord's shoulder but suddenly the Doctor cried out and flinched away from him as though he's been scalded. Still with Rose's body in his arms he turned to look at Jack with that expression he had hoped he'd never see again. Horror, fear, surprise, anger…

"Get away from me!" the Doctor yelled angrily, tears still coursing down his face. "You're wrong!"

Jack's heart sank as the Doctor continued to shuffle away from him, Gallifreyan words now spilling out of his mouth. The Doctor had lost all reasoning and was now relying purely on instinct, and his instinct told him that Jack was something that could hurt him. Jack knew there was no time for this; they needed to get out before the entire building collapsed on them…

"Doctor!" Jack said firmly, grabbing the Doctor's arm tightly. The Doctor screamed out, Jack's heart almost breaking in half as he realised it was in true agony. Just by touching the Doctor Jack was causing him physical pain…

"Pahjuh!" the Doctor yelled, or at least that was what Jack could latch onto through the mess of syllables that seemed impossible to even begin pronouncing. "Naqu! Eon'af'alig! Alig! Pahjuh! Pahjuh! Naqu! Naqu!" Then he was screaming again, still holding onto Rose like a vice as Jack dragged him to his feet, the ceiling about to give way right above their heads.

"Doctor, please!" Jack yelled as he continued to drag the screaming Doctor out, the ceiling collapsing but metres behind them.

"Pahjuh!" the Doctor yelled again, trying desperately to make Jack let go of him whilst clinging onto Rose's unconscious body. "Naqu, naqu! Ei'af'plinoa'eon!"

"Doctor!" Jack shouted as they passed out into the open doorway, the Doctor still screaming with pain. He tried desperately to ignore the Doctor's sounds of anguish as he continued to pull both the Doctor and Rose, his body aching with the effort. When they were a safe distance away he finally let go, leaving the Doctor gasping for air, still spewing out phrases and words in Gallifreyan.

"Doctor,  _listen to me!"_ Jack grabbed his shoulders again, yanking the Time Lord around the face him. Tears were still pouring down his face as it screwed up in agony once more.

"Pahjuh," he whispered, his energy totally spent. "Pahjuh… naqu…"

"Calmed down?" Jack asked, letting go of him. His face relaxed, his eyes searching Jack's beneath the layer of tears.

"Kinok, joi, ei'joi…" the Time Lord croaked, before his eyes flickered down to Rose's unmoving body. "Lo'af'irak… Lo'af'irak…" and then he was crying again, throwing himself onto the girl and holding her tightly. Jack knew better than to touch him as he sobbed unashamedly.

"It'll be okay," Jack said, wanting so badly to hold his friend but knew he would only be pushed away. And it hurt him.

"Ei'i'o kari areg'lo," the Doctor whispered, shuddering. "Ei'joi, ei'joi…"

"Doctor, please, I can't understand a word you're sayin'," Jack said gently, kneeling in front of him. The Doctor swallowed, pressing a kiss to Rose's forehead.

"I'm sorry," the Time Lord said, thankfully back to English. "Joi, it means sorry."

"Doctor we need to go. Now."

"She's dying, Jack, she's dying…"

"And you will too if we don't get the hell out of here!" Jack yelled, and for the first time he had tears in his eyes too. They could still hear that barrage of gunfire and conflict going on around them, seemingly getting louder and louder as the battle raged on. "I've only just found you and I'm not letting you die!"

* * *

The only vehicle that didn't seem to be on fire was a black Kev van. The Doctor knew he didn't have the strength to lift Rose into the back and he fought his instinct, denying himself screaming out as Jack lifted the young woman himself, covering her with his coat. There were a few first aid packs in the back of the van, the Doctor putting them to good use on Rose even though his own body was screaming with the multiple injuries of being crushed and tortured all in one. The tears were still sliding down his face as Rose stopped breathing and he began CPR, somehow not even caring for his broken arm.

Jack drove like a maniac, but it was still twenty minutes until they managed to reach the Refugee Camp, and the Doctor was still performing CPR on Rose. He was exhausted and hurting badly, but still he persisted, and Rose clung on the edge of life. The back doors flung open and the Doctor stumbled out, Rose limp in his arms. He fell to the floor, pain burning through all parts of his body as his vision began to fade.

"Please," he gasped, tears still pouring down his face as he cradled Rose in both arms. "Help her…"

People were surrounding him, but they were only blurs. There was yelling in his ears as he felt hands supporting him. Finally he succumbed to the darkness, slumping over Rose's body as everything faded to nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write my own Gallifreyan. Here's the translation...
> 
> Pahjuh – Let go
> 
> Naqu – Please
> 
> Eon'af'alig – You're wrong
> 
> Alig – Wrong
> 
> Ei'af'plinoa'eon – I'm begging you
> 
> Kinok – Thank you
> 
> Lo'af'irak – She's dying
> 
> Ei'joi – I'm sorry
> 
> Joi - Sorry
> 
> Ei'i'o kari areg'lo – I can't live without her


	20. In Stupor

The battle raged on.

The Sontarans were the better equipped fighting force but they were no match for the millions of angry humans, all filled with determination to reclaim their stolen planet. The humans swarmed like flies around the Sontaran HQ, one Sontaran for every 500 humans.

The battle would be long, but it was most definitely worth every second.

Three days of fighting passed, and for three days the Doctor and Rose lay still in the Hospital tent of the Refugee Camp. There wasn't a time when Jack or Jackie were not by their sides, watching for any hint of awareness, but they couldn't help but think that maybe, after all this, it was a lost cause. Rose was in stupor, fading in and out with no real grasp on the world around her, and the Doctor showed no signs of stirring.

People came and went to give their best wishes for the pair's full recovery, some praying, some begging, some crying. Eventually all visitors had been restricted but still some volunteer helpers and even some of the patients came over to see them.

Jackie took the liberty of talking to the Doctor and Rose as they slept, somehow hoping that maybe they could hear her. Jack even tried putting the Doctor's hand in Rose's for reasons even unknown to him, but still nothing happened.

Jackie had taken charge of bandage changing. At first their injuries were shocking to her, the amount of broken bones her daughter had; the electric burns on the Doctor and other remnants of torture making her eyes water. On the fourth day Kate came over to check up, running all sorts of tests on the two to gauge a level of coma. Rose appeared to be coming back to awareness faster than they had anticipated, but the results for the Doctor were not good.

"He's not responding to pain anymore," Kate said grimly, taking out her stethoscope again and placing it over each of his hearts in turn.

"And that's bad?" Jackie asked anxiously.

"It's a sign of a deeper level of coma," Kate explained, pinching his arm again. He was completely still. "He's got worse. I need to get him to a hospital, with proper equipment and facilities."

"It could be one of his healin' coma things," Jackie said after a moment's pause. "Like he did before."

"If it is a healing coma I can't see any healing going on," Kate muttered, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

* * *

Another day went by.

The amount of casualties was rapidly increasing from the conflict and Kate could no longer routinely check the Doctor and Rose as much as she'd like to, but when she had managed to gain some time to check them up she quickly realised her worst fears were being confirmed.

The Doctor was slowly dying.

She had intubated him on the fifth day due to the amount of trouble he was having breathing. He was now completely unresponsive, and when his temperature began to rise she suspected infection was setting in. However marvellous his alien version of immune system was, she was pretty sure it wouldn't be able to fight off an infection on top of everything else.

She'd had enough. These two, two of the three saviours of Earth, were lying on the threshold of Death's Door whilst under her care and she simply wasn't having  _any_ of it. She began to make plans.

* * *

On the sixth day, there was some solace. Rose woke up, all questions about what had happened and where the Doctor was and if he was all right. Jackie was relieved to say the least at the sight of her awake but she couldn't bring herself to tell her of the Doctor's current prognosis, so she told her the Doctor was sleeping from some pain medication Kate had given him and he was recovering. She felt bad for lying, but she realised she'd done the right thing when Rose closed her eyes again, a small smile on her face.

* * *

On the seventh day, the War ended.

One of the Rebels burst into the Hospital Tent with a manic smile on his face, screaming in joy and punching the air.

"It's over! We won! The War's over!"

Cheers erupted from every part of the tent and Jackie, Jack and Kate cheered with them in elation. With the Sontarans gone Planet Earth was theirs once more, and finally things might start returning to normal. There had been a lot of deaths, but they would forever be remembered as heroes who fought for their planet, and won.

The atmosphere of the Refugee Camp changed; suddenly everyone was bouncing around with the glorious pleasure at simply being alive. Strangers hugged strangers as parties commenced, knowing that very soon they would once again be back in their homes, warm, washed, clothed and fed.

"Doctor, Rose," Jackie said quickly, taking both of their hands and squeezing. "We won. You did it. The War's over…"

But strangely it didn't really feel that way as she, Jack and Kate didn't even see them twitch.

* * *

Another three days passed.

Rose kept waking up, and each time Jackie would fabricate progressively more elaborate excuses as to why the Doctor was sleeping, and why he had a tube down his throat.

The Doctor had a definite infection. His fever had sky rocketed and he was shivering. When Jackie changed his bandages for that day she was alarmed to find a few of the lacerations on his chest were bright red and oozing a pus-like substance. Still he remained comatose, and no healing was going on at all in the slightest. Kate checked him over and sighed dejectedly. He was slipping out of her fingers, and she didn't like it one bit. But there was nothing she could do right now.

* * *

Yet another day dawned.

"It's ready," Kate announced as she walked over to where the Doctor and Rose lay, Jack and Jackie by their sides.

"What?" Jack asked, confused.

"They're going to Hospital so they can be treated. The helicopter's waiting," and with that Kate bent down beside the Doctor, wrapping him up in the blankets tightly.

"Hospital?" Jack asked, confused. "What…"

"The Rebels have been working for a week to get St Thomas' up and running again, and now it's ready to accept casualties. I'm taking the Doctor and Rose straight in, priority one."

Two men brought a stretcher down next to him and together they all shifted the Doctor carefully onto it, checking he was comfortable and secure before the two men lifted the stretcher up and carried him towards the tent entrance. Jack swiftly followed as Kate turned next to Rose and began to do the same.

"Mum?"

"Rose!" Jackie exclaimed, astounded as she looked down at the young woman staring up at her drowsily. "Keep still love, we're gonna move you."

"Where're we goin'?"

"We're goin' to hospital, sweetheart," Jackie said gently, making sure her daughter was comfortable. "They're gonna look after you and make you better."

"The Doctor…?"

"He's comin' with us, don't worry."

"Mum… I want him with me."

"You'll be together in a minute, we're taking you to the helicopter," Kate assured her as the stretcher returned, minus the Doctor and Jack. They lifted her on and soon they were carrying her out, watched by bystanders. They knew who these people being carried on the stretchers were, everyone did.

Jackie was glad when they were finally in the helicopter, the prying eyes of what seemed like thousands of people now off them. They set Rose down next to the Doctor, who was looking even worse than ever. Rose watched in horror and disbelief as Jack breathed for him, clutching a blue bag connected to the tube down his throat and squeezing it every three or four seconds.

"Doctor?"

For once, Jackie had nothing to reassure her with. Rose leant over with a grunt of pain, taking his hand and squeezing it gently.

She didn't let go for the entire trip.


	21. Out Of The Fire, Into the Volcano

The Doctor managed to open his eyes ever so slightly, looking up at the world outside with no real grasp on what it meant. There were people buzzing around him, and there was something down his throat. He was moving, lying down but moving…

"Adult male, severe contusions and lacerations to pretty much everything, multiple closed fractures to right arm and both legs in turn, broken ribs, breathing difficulties from suspected puncture or multiple punctures of the lungs and multiple cases of direct head trauma with prolonged unconsciousness, complete with infection of his chest wounds…" a voice said from next to his head. "Causes were physical torture and he was crushed under a building collapse. He's been comatose for around eleven days. Pulse weak but steady, temperature eighteen degrees Celsius…"

He tried to speak but the thing down his throat prevented him. Then he was suddenly panicking, hyperventilating, lifting his left arm up to try and get the thing out of his throat but someone grabbed his arm and stilled it.

"He's awake! Doctor? Can you hear me?"

He managed to raise his head slightly, finally getting a full view of the situation he was in, though the world was far too bright for his eyes.

Hospital.

"No, no, no," the Doctor tried to say against the tube but it choked him. He couldn't remember exactly why, but he knew hospitals were bad…

"Doctor, relax, we're going to help you, okay?"

But he wasn't listening, managing to pull his arm free of the person restraining him and reach up to the tube again, trying in vain to pull it out. With his right arm he attempted to push away the people surrounding him even though firey pain coursed right through it – it was broken, he knew that, but how had that happened?

"Sedate him!"

This spurred him on. With a final wrench he had the tube out of his throat, coughing and spluttering, gasping for air. He groaned in pain as he pushed himself up off whatever he was lying on, hands trying to hold him down but he was terrified and he had to get away, out of the hospital before they discovered what he was…

Something jabbed into the back of his neck and what felt like cold water rushed in. He shoved the perpetrator away and the needle came out with them as he gave himself a final push off of the surface.

His legs shot through with agony and within seconds he was on the floor as they collapsed from underneath him. He landed with a smack, and his body screamed its protest with concentrated agony through every limb. What had happened to him? He couldn't remember anything… He pushed himself up, dragging his battered body away from the group of people that seemed intent on putting him to sleep.

"He's not going under…"

"He'll get there, he'll get there…"

He finally hit a wall, but he quickly realised the combination of the sedation and his screaming body meant he was  _never_  going to escape them. His head hurt, his arm hurt, his chest hurt, it even hurt to  _breathe_ …

He sat against the wall, trying to control his breathing but it wasn't working. Something had damaged his lungs. Something or  _someone…_

"Doctor," a voice said. He recognised it.

"Jackie?" he asked, opening his eyes slightly to see the woman herself kneeling down next to him, her eyes sympathetic and kind. Wow, he thought, he really must be hurt if she was being nice to him.

"It's okay sweetheart, you're in a hospital and they're gonna make you better…"

"No," the Doctor panted, his throat as sore as hell. "No, Jackie, not a hospital, they'll cut me up and…" He faltered as the sedative began to take effect and he slipped a little down the wall, losing strength. "You have to help me…"

"They're not gonna hurt you," she shuffled forward a bit and rested a hand on his shoulder. He flinched slightly. Morphic illusion… was it really Jackie? "They'll make you better so you can steal my daughter again and disappear for months on end!"

He smiled slightly at this. It really  _was_  Jackie. But the world was starting to spin and consequently making him feel nauseous. He closed his eyes again as she moved even closer and took him into a comforting embrace.

"What happened to me?" he asked, voice breaking.

There was a pause. "You'll remember," she finally answered. "You've just gotta let them take care of you."

"But they'll…" Why was he crying? He could feel the tears running down his face; emotional manipulation? "They'll…"

"I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you, sweetheart," she replied gently.

"But Rose…" he was starting to lose his senses. "Something happened… Rose… Where is she…?"

But her reply was lost as he sagged in her grip.

Jackie held him for a moment before looking up at the crowd of doctors and nurses surrounding them.

"He's under," she said, letting them take hold of him before she let go. She watched as they lifted his limp body up and set him back down on the gurney, making to push him down the corridor, but then he began to fit.

Jack stared in alarm. "What's happenin'?!" she demanded to know, scared and confused as the Time Lord convulsed in front of her, the doctors and nurses frantically running around.

"He's anaphylactic to the sedative!" one of them said, eyes wide. "Get him in the ER!"

Jackie could only watch as the Time Lord disappeared down the corridor, still in the thralls of fitting.

* * *

"He's a fighter," Kate said to Jack, Rose and Jackie in the ward Rose was being kept in under observation twelve hours later. "He bounced back from his anaphylaxis in the ER before we moved him to the OR. It took ten hours but it was successful, the surgeons have managed to repair a lot of the damage but now it's up to him. But like I said, he just refuses to give up." She paused, taking in a deep breath. "He's in the ICU with heart palpitations, his right heart's stopped."

Rose blinked back tears. "When can I see him?"

"When I'm satisfied you can move," Kate replied, smiling slightly. "I'll check you over and give the okay, and then his nurse can take you all. But…" she paused again in the way doctors do when they have bad news. "When he wakes up he'll probably be very confused and have a bit of amnesia. Don't be alarmed if he asks you who you are or who he is. With as many head injuries as he's gained it's to be expected. It's like a filing cabinet in his head, all the files have fallen out and he needs some time to alphabetise them again."

Despite the situation, the three couldn't help but smile at the idea of the Doctor organising files. He was always so enthusiastic and energetic; he couldn't sit down for more than five minutes unless it was to eat. The mere idea of him sitting down to organise some files was laughable. Though right now that was all he really  _was_  doing – just lying there, impassive, unreacting to the world around him. It felt so wrong, so un-Doctorish, and so incredibly wrong.

* * *

An hour later and they were making their way to the ICU, Rose in a wheelchair with Jackie and Jack hovering nervously beside her. They entered through the double doors, and were met by an unnerving sight of four beds lined up either side, in all of them occupants in various states of disrepair. Close to death.

They were taken down the aisle to the end where the occupant of the final bed was hidden by curtains around the bed. The nurse guiding them pulled the curtains back to allow them entry.

Their hearts turned cold at the sight of the Doctor lying motionless in the bed but for the periodic rising and falling of his chest, pushed in by a machine attached to a tube going down his throat. He looked, if possible, even worse than before, the bruises and scars on his face alone highlighted by the fact he was so pale.

"Can I touch him?" Rose asked, the tears welling once more.

"Yes, of course," the nurse replied with a gentle smile, wheeling Rose over next to his bed and pulling the stop. Rose wordlessly reached out and took the hand of the arm that wasn't broken, surprised to find it attached to the side rail with a leather bind.

"What's that for?" she asked the nurse, pointing.

"It's to prevent him pulling out the tube in his throat if he wakes up before we can get to him," the nurse explained. "Try talking to him. Familiar voices help greatly in making the brain realign. I'll leave you alone." She smiled, and disappeared.

There was a momentary pause as Rose, Jack and Jackie stared at the body lying in front of them, of the man whose energy seemed to have no end just lying there, comatose. Rose clutched his hand a little tighter, and swallowed.

"Doctor…" Rose began, feeling like a bit of an idiot talking to someone who wasn't talking back but now she didn't really care. "I want you back. We've been through so much together and it can't end here, not now. We've got so much left to do… And I couldn't bear it if you regenerated again." She paused, taking a moment to regard his limp form before continuing. "It's so quiet without you. Please wake up. I miss you."

* * *

Slowly the world began to piece back together. First of all came the sound of distant voices and footsteps walking around him. Then came smell, first of all the smell of potent disinfectant. Then it was taste, or lack of – his mouth and throat were completely dry and sore. After taste it was touch – gentle hands clutching his, changing bandages, brushing through his hair, adjusting tubes and turning him over every now and then.

Then the voices become more distinguishable and slowly he realised people were talkingto  _him._

"Hey Doc, dunno if you can hear me, but…"

"… The right facilities…"

"… And Rose is fine…"

"I miss you."

"Please wake up…"

There was something he had to do. Something bad had happened and he needed to do something… but he couldn't remember what it was. He attempted to open his eyes, but everything hurt so much. He tried again and managed to get them open slightly to see a face he definitely recognised.

"Rose," he whispered through an oxygen mask on his face.

"Doctor?" her voice was echoed, and she looked surprised.

"Rose, what happened?"

Her face seemed to fall. "You've been hurt, Doctor. You'll get better soon, okay?" Her cheeks were glistening. Tears?

"Rose, where are we?"

"We're safe, completely safe. You just have to concentrate on getting better." Her eyes were full of truth and love, but still shone brightly with tears.

"Rose…" he felt the hand in his, and he tightened his grip slightly. "I'm scared."

"There's nothing to be scared of Doctor," she replied, brushing back his fringe. "I'm here."

Something wet pressed against his lips. She'd kissed him.

"I don't know who I am…"

More tears coursed down her face at his words.

"You'll remember, I promise."

"I… can't…"

Sleeping was good. Sleeping cured everything. It wouldn't hurt to sleep a little while longer…

Five minutes later when Jack entered the room, he found Rose hugging the Doctor's arm tightly, his hand pressed to her face.

"Rose?"

"Jack," Rose gasped, tears falling down her face. "He woke up… He didn't know who he was…"

Jack moved forward quickly, wrapping his arms around her comfortingly. "Rose, he's been through a lot. Tortured then crushed then comatose and anaphylaxis, it's like Kate said, his body just needs to get the files back in place. One day we'll look back at this and laugh."

"… Yeah, you're right," Rose muttered, though she was by no means sure of her words.


	22. Bananas Are Good

"… Then we went to that planet… what was it called? I've forgotten. But it was amazin', it had that really long beach, d'you remember? It had perfect sand, and there were  _three_ suns! The water was really warm and you even got into your swim shorts! You really need to wear them more often… But anyway, then we went out for a swim, but no one told us that the water dropped 30 degrees in temperature at midnight… I remember gettin' really cold, so cold I couldn't move, and then there you were, grinnin' like always, sharin' your warmth as you carried me back to the shore and wrapped me up in your coat. You took me back to the TARDIS, ran me a warm bath and tucked me up in bed with some cocoa… And I didn't even get a cold!"

Rose stared at the Doctor. Nothing happened. Nothing  _ever_ happened. He just laid there, the ventilator hissing every now and then as the tube down his throat kept him alive. The heart rate monitor beeped periodically. At least his second heart had started up again. It seemed it was only a matter of his head now. The CT and MRI scans Kate had ordered had been completely useless – they had no idea how his brain worked and how it was supposed to be normally, so they couldn't figure out if he had any brain damage.

"Rose."

Rose looked up to see Jack in the parting of the curtain. He was frowning slightly.

"You know you shouldn't be in here," he said gently, moving forward. "You should be resting. You're still injured too, y'know."

She nodded. "I just…"

"I know," he said, sitting on the side of the bed and looking at the Doctor. It had been another three days, three days of a comatose Doctor. Rose was nearly always at the Doctor's side – whenever they allowed her to, and other times when she wasn't. Jack and Jackie checked in every day as often as they could whilst helping out around the hospital – they needed all the help they could get with casualties from the War. "He looks peaceful."

"Don't say that," Rose whispered quietly.

Jack looked at her with a sigh. "Come on, get back to bed. He'll still be here in the mornin'. I'll stay with him, ok?"

Numbly, Rose nodded. Jack took hold of her wheelchair handles and she let herself be taken from his side, back to her own bed to rest. Minutes later Jack returned, pulling up a chair and dropping into it, staring at the Doctor thoughtfully for a moment.

"We found the TARDIS," he said. "I tried lookin' in the library for any books on Gallifreyan physiology, but I couldn't find anythin'."

The Doctor stayed still.

"You need to wake up, now," Jack said, leaning forward. "Rose is goin' insane over you. And I'm pretty worried too."

Nothing but the sound of rain pitter-pattering on the glass of the window answered him. Jack sighed again, leaning back in the chair and retreating back into a world of thought. He found himself drifting off…

"Jack…"

Jack sat up, alert at the sound of a voice. But no… it couldn't have been, could it? The Doctor was still asleep…

"Jack…"

He jumped to his feet, leaning over the Doctor to try and see if there was any hint of life. He watched for a few seconds, but the Doctor was as dead to the world as always.

"Jack…"

His lips definitely hadn't moved… Then Jack realised it was because the voice was in his head.

"Doctor?" he asked, confused.

"Not mu… time…" He kept fading in and out like someone kept turning the volume up and down. "Put m… and on… or… ead…"

Jack concentrated; trying to form a coherent sentence out of the syllables the Doctor had given him. After a few moments he reached down to the Doctor's hand still bound to the side rails and lowered his head, placing the Doctor's fingertips to his right temple.

"Jack," the voice said again, stronger this time. "I've only got a few minutes so please listen carefully. I'm communicating telepathically to you, since you being you means it's a lot easier. I tried communicating with Rose but her pure human mind isn't receptive enough to telepathic communication with the amount of strength I have. But enough about that, I'm going to scare you all by going into a healing coma to repair the damage. You probably didn't notice back in the camp, but my core temperature will drop to below freezing and I'll probably flatline. Please don't panic."

"I won't," Jack promised. "… How bad is the damage?"

"When I wake up some of my motor functions and natural reflexes will been impaired, and I'll have a lot of amnesia. It'll take me a while to sort my head and body response out. You all need to keep talking to me, Rose especially; it's the only thing I can cling onto."

"Okay," Jack answered. "Anythin' else?"

"Tell Rose…" he paused. Moments passed. "Tell Rose the name of the planet was Agathos Ygiea."

Jack grinned. "Sure. I'll see you in a few days."

"Nighty night."

Seconds later, the heart rate monitor flatlined.

* * *

Three days later, the Doctor opened his eyes.

Jackie was on bed watching duty that day, so she was almost scared out of her wits when the Doctor's voice suddenly sounded from the bed.

"Liala?"

She blinked, confused as she stood up and moved over the bedside next to the previous comatose Doctor. He'd since been taken off of the ventilator but still had plenty of tubes going in and out of him, the bruises and cuts on his visible skin not yet completely healed, but were very much getting there. He was now looking up at her with tired eyes, looking as though he might pass out again at any minute. "Doctor?" she asked.

"N'je'chali?"

"Doctor, I can't understand you."

He blinked, looking up at her with as much confusion as she herself felt.

"Ei'i'o manai'eon," he said, frowning.

Jackie couldn't figure out for the life of her what language he was speaking…

"What language are you speakin' in?" She quickly realised her efforts were hopeless as he frowned at her. Then she had a bright idea. "I'll get Rose, okay? Maybe she can speak it with the TARDIS thing. Or maybe she can get Babel Fish on 'er phone…"

He stared at her blankly.

"You know, Rose," she repeated. "Err… about this high…" she indicated with her hand Rose's height. "Blonde hair… Oh bloody hell, I'll just get 'er. Stay here!" she yelled over her shoulder as she pulled back the curtain and disappeared.

He stared after Jackie for a moment, before shrugging it off and addressing the problems to hand. He was in a hospital as a patient, definitely. Most of his body hurt, but he could tell he had a head injury just from the way it ached, pulsating with pain. Asides from that, Jackie didn't seem to be speaking the right language. Unless, he thought, perhaps he was speaking the wrong one…

He tried to sit up with the intention of getting out of bed, but his entire body was still complaining loudly about being put through, what he could only presume, to be a blender. Asides from that, his limbs didn't seem to want to move in the direction he intended them to go…

A voice suddenly yelled from the curtain parting, and his headache promptly had a fit inside his skull. He visibly winced and Rose came into view, apologetic.

She whispered a word he didn't recognise, brushing back his hair from his eyes.

"Liala," he said, staring up at her. She looked confused, answering back in that language he didn't seem to know. "Liala, ei'joi…" the Doctor said, and Rose sat down on the bed, taking his hand.

There were no doubts in Rose's mind that he was speaking Gallifreyan; the language the TARDIS refused to translate, though she wasn't all too sure if the TARDIS was translating anything at the moment with the Doctor's current condition.

"Can you understand 'im?" Jackie asked her daughter, and she shook her head.

"He's speaking Gallifreyan, the TARDIS never translates that because it's a dead language, only he speaks it," Rose explained, looking back at the Doctor.

"Ei'af heeshai tara poiai," he said, "i'ei'ha ce'heesh tara aiiw'poi, naqu?" He then cupped his hand and pressed it to his face to signify a glass of water, and then his fists rising alternatively to his mouth, signifying food. His movements were uncoordinated and sluggish, but they got the message.

"He's hungry and thirsty," Rose said, turning to the crowd. "He always is after a healing coma."

"I'll go get him something from the nurses," Jackie said quickly, rushing out of the door just as Kate came running in, her hair everywhere from her short nap in the on-call room.

"What's the situation?" she asked, running to the bed to find the Doctor with his eyes open, looking weak and lethargic.

"He's not speaking English anymore," Jack explained.

Kate frowned and moved forward, standing next to the head of the bed, pulling the head section of the bed up.

"Doctor, can you understand me?"

He blinked. "Eon'af'haal'ei y'ei'i'manai'eon, af'eon'o? Prea guijo'o," he said tiredly.

"Take that as a no," Kate murmured. "Looks like a form of aphasia, but judging by what he said to you Jack, it should be only temporary." She dug into her pocket and brought out a pen, raising it to the Doctor's face. "Doctor, follow the pen with your eyes." She gestured at his eyes, and then pointed at the pen as she began to move it left and right, then up and down. His eyes followed it perfectly.

"Oculomotor function seems okay," Kate said, raising the pen in front of him. "Doctor, this time I need you to take the pen from me." She did gestures to indicate his task and he raised his now unbound left hand, reaching up towards the pen. Clumsily his hand flew straight past the pen and he almost managed hit himself in his right arm. He looked deflated.

Kate gave him a gentle smile, taking his hand and placing it back where it had been before. "It's okay, you can try again," she said, raising the pen. This time the Doctor's brow furrowed in concentration as he tried in vain to complete the task, the concentration plain on his face. Despite this, he still narrowly missed smacking Kate's head.

"Ei'joi," he said meekly, staring at the covers.

"He said sorry," Jack said from the side, recalling the moment of chaos in the collapsing building.

Kate smiled at turned back to the Doctor. "That's all right," she said and handed him the pen, drawing out a notepad from her pocket. "Draw me a triangle." She indicated the shape with her hands. He drew an equilateral triangle impossibly perfectly and accurately by freehand. She smiled at this and took the pen and notepad back.

"Can you give me a salute?" She demonstrated as always. This time he almost karate chopped his chin. "Okay, let's not try that again," she laughed, putting his hand down. "Now I need you to whistle for me." She demonstrated. He copied perfectly. "Now wink." She winked, and he winked back. She smiled, turning back to face Rose and Jack as Jackie came back in through the doorway, staggering under a tray stacked full of food and drinks.

"He has some impaired motor functions, ideomotor limb and ideokinetic apraxia, which basically means he's a bit clumsy in his movements right now and won't be able to do anything for himself. He's going to need you all. I've got full confidence that he'll get better but now he's relying you now to help him through."

Rose and Jack nodded before they looked back at the Doctor, surprised to find him grinning from ear-to-ear as he stared at the pile of bananas in front of him. It was the first time they'd seen him grin for at least two weeks, and it warmed all their hearts.

"Jupou'af'min!" he said enthusiastically, and Rose laughed.

"I think he just said bananas are good," she said, and moved forward to help him do the things his clumsy hands couldn't. Within ten minutes the entire contents of the food tray had disappeared and Rose pressed a kiss to a bruise on his forehead, brushing back his hair again. She noted how badly he needed a shave as stubble covered his jaw. She'd have to do that when he was strong enough.

For a few moments there was only silence as the Doctor relaxed again, happy after refilling his energy deficit, but now he could no longer fight off the need to sleep.

"Ei'mina'eon, Liala," the he said sleepily in the silence, and then closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:
> 
> Liala – Rose
> 
> N'je'chali? – What happened?
> 
> Ei'i'o manai'eon – I can't understand you
> 
> Ei'joi – I'm sorry
> 
> Ei'af heeshai tara poiai – I'm hungry and thirsty
> 
> I'ei'ha ce'heesh tara aiiw'poi, naqu? – Can I have a drink and some food, please?
> 
> Eon'af'haal'ei y'ei'i'manai'eon, af'eon'o? Prea guijo'o – You're asking me if I can understand you, aren't you? Well obviously not
> 
> Jupou'af'min – Bananas are good
> 
> Ei'mina'eon, Liala – I love you, Rose


	23. Recovery

It was three days before the Doctor had enough strength to get out of bed. It was also around that time he had discovered that they'd gone as far as to put a catheter in him, so his first attempt at going to the toilet without it was embarrassing for two reasons: 1. Jack was helping him to stand up in the cubicle whilst his genitals were in plain view and 2. It felt like he was peeing fire. By the time he'd finished Jack had to redress him and carry him out to the wheelchair, back to his bed where he moaned in pain, curled into a ball for several hours.

All the while he couldn't understand much of what anyone was saying. For the first time in a long while he truly felt like an alien on this strange blue world, unable to communicate with anyone. He'd managed to pick up a few phrases and words but they all spoke too fast for him to have time to comprehend what they'd said.

Rose had shaved him that morning and washed his hair, and he found the only thing that kept him from going insane was the way which she held him in comfort, understanding just how secluded he felt as she didn't even speak a word.

His head continued to hurt, and badly. He still couldn't remember what had happened to him, and he couldn't even discuss it with Rose, Jack or Jackie. Every time he tried to explain they would just stare at him with that horrible blank expression.

Another day passed before they took him to the TARDIS, standing comically in one of the parking spots of the Hospital car park. The TARDIS was overjoyed at the sight of him, buttons flashing as Jack wheeled the Doctor up to the console and he patted it affectionately.

He looked up at Jack and Rose, and pointed to the door leading to the interior.

"Room," he said in a heavily accented voice. "Heal room, I go there."

"All right, Doctor," Jack answered slowly, pronouncing the words as best as he could. They took him through the door and the Doctor pointed left through another door.

They emerged into a bright white room, and instantly the atmosphere changed to one of total serenity. It smelt a little bit of roses. Silently Jack wheeled the Doctor into the centre of the room, Rose following behind.

The Doctor looked up at Jack. "Me, up stand," he said, holding out his arms. Jack obliged and pulled the Doctor onto his feet, supporting him on his still injured legs. The Doctor winced in pain, nodding for Jack to take him a few paces to the right.

"You okay?" Jack asked, concerned as the Doctor's face screwed up in pain.

"All right, Jack," the Doctor said, forcing a grin. Jack and Rose both laughed. "Let go me."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Is fine," the Doctor replied. With a small amount of hesitation Jack let go of him, staying near to catch him if he fell. The Doctor wavered for a second, looking as though he might, but then he touched his head and Jack and Rose watched in fascination as he slowly fell back onto a seemingly invisible bed – but he was floating on the air.

"Two… err…" the Doctor struggled for the right word. "Err… tick-tock?" he gestured vaguely in a circle.

"Two hours? Okay, Doctor," Jack replied, taking hold of the wheelchair handles again and pushing it out of the door. Rose took one last look at the Doctor lying suspended on air with his eyes closed, before following Jack out.

"You're okay too?" Jack asked Rose.

She nodded. "Yeah, good. Hungry though."

"Well, we're back in the TARDIS. Wanna grab a bite and watch a movie?" he asked, grinning.

She nodded, smiling. Things might finally be going back to normal.

The Doctor had come out of the healing room with quite a few less scars. He startled Jack and Rose by limping into the sitting room, dropping down between them and stealing Rose's popcorn.

"Hey, that's mine!" Rose complained, laughing. The Doctor paused for a moment, staring at her for a moment. Her face fell. She had subconsciously assumed the Doctor would be fixed and 100 percent normal when he came out of his healing room, and although his body on the way to healing, his mind was not. The Doctor seemed to read her thoughts, and he gave her a comforting smiling.

"Heal room, heal scars. Me heal head." He tapped his head, and then offered her some popcorn. She took some and popped it into her mouth, before leaning forward and hugging him tightly.

"Group hug!" Jack yelled in delight and wrapped his arms around them both. They remained for a few moments before they pulled back, and resumed watching the TV. It was a few moments before the Doctor pointed at the screen.

"TV watch what?" he asked.

"Terminator 2," Jack replied, handing him the DVD case. The Doctor instinctively flipped over to read the blurb, but he couldn't make any sense of the words so he tossed it back onto the table in front of them and sat back to watch the film, feeling a little more normal than he had for a while.

The Doctor was discharged from the hospital a few days later to a tearful good bye. He couldn't stand good byes, but it wasn't so bad when he couldn't understand half of the words they were saying, so he just hugged them and shook hands before leaving. The Doctor couldn't even begin to operate the TARDIS at the moment so Jack arranged transport to take them and the TARDIS back to Jackie's flat. The streets were beginning to fill up again with people as slowly society rebuilt itself, friends and enemies uniting to rebuild the things they had once taken for granted.

Due to the destruction of the roads it took them the whole morning to drive from the hospital to Jackie's flat. The Doctor fell asleep on Rose about twenty minutes in. She pulled a blanket over him, letting the Time Lord continue sleeping for the rest of the silent journey.

Jack tried not to wake the Doctor as he lifted him up and carried him up the service stairs, cocooned in the blanket. Thankfully most of the estate had somehow managed to remain intact and within minutes they were inside the dark and dusty flat. Jackie ran her finger along a table and sighed at the pad of dust on her finger.

"When he's back again you're all doin' spring cleanin'!" she said, indicating the Doctor back in a snooze on the sofa that was far too small for him. "Dunno where he'll sleep, though. The spare room's got junk in it."

"He can use my bed," Rose said, moving forward. "Let me change the sheets."

"Doctor, are you awake?"

"Awake now," he said sleepily, opening his eyes to find Rose sitting on the bright pink bed he was lying in. Instantly he knew he was in Rose's room. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and ruffling his hair.

"Joi," Rose said, smiling. The Doctor grinned at her. "Are you hungry?" she made the appropriate gesture.

"Yes," he answered. "I hungry."

"Mum's cooking some pasta, it'll be done in ten minutes," she said.

He stared at her blankly. "Pasta…" he mimicked. "What is this?"

"You'll find out, you love it," she replied.

"Love…" the Doctor repeated again, frowning. "What is this?"

"It means you really like it!" She held out the bundle of clothes she held in her arms. "I got these for you, from the TARDIS. The blue suit looked nice."

The Doctor took the bundle, a blue jacket and trousers with a white shirt and red tie, complete with converse, socks and boxers. He turned bright red at the thought that Rose had gone through his underwear drawer.

"Do you need any help gettin' dressed?" she asked. He took a few moments to figure out the meaning on the sentence before he shook his head.

"No, I try first," he said.

"Okay, just call if you need any help," Rose said, before giving him a fleeting hug and disappearing out of the door.

Ten minutes later the Doctor appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, his effort at dressing for himself having proved a good attempt, but not quite there. His shoelaces were undone, his shirt half hanging out from his trousers with the buttons done up slightly wrongly, and it seemed he had given up on trying to do his tie.

"Fiddy. Fiddy. Um, filly… filldy…" Frustrated, he tried again. "Fidd-l-y," he said, smiling apologetically. Rose laughed and moved forward, taking his arm and leading him into the living room, sitting him down on the sofa and setting to work. The Doctor remained silent as she corrected his shirt and tucked him in.

"There you go," Rose said gently as she finished doing up his tie.

"Rose."

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I think have word now," he said. "For you. I…" He paused, frowning. "Think word is… love. I love you."

She stared at him. "Huh?"

He winced. "Word wrong? Me mean… mina. Mean… really like."

But before she could answer Jackie and Jack came into the sitting room holding four plates stacked with pasta, and the moment was lost.

When they were done Jackie made to get up to stack the plates, but swore as they all went crashing to the floor.

"Chill out, Jackie," the Doctor said, stacking them for himself and walking towards the kitchen door.

"Thank you, Doctor," Jackie said politely.

"No problemo," he threw over his shoulder before disappearing through the doorway. Jack and Rose exchanged a look of amusement as they realised what had happened. He'd picked up vocabulary from The Terminator 2…

He'd gone to bed early. He was just so tired, but he knew sleep would help him heal. The only trouble was Rose's bedroom was so close to the living room that he could hear the entire conversation the other three were having, and it was solely about him. He couldn't understand some of the words they used, but he knew enough to get the gist.

"He's not gettin' better is he?" Rose's voice said.

"He'll get there, he just needs a bit more time," Jack's voice said.

"It's been three weeks… It's like he's still there, but he's just… incomplete. I'm scared he won't come back…"

"Don't you go 'avin' doubts," Jackie suddenly said sternly. "His brain's been 'urt and he's gonna heal it. You two always come through these things fine."

"Yeah," Jack said. "You'll be flyin' off around the universe before you know it."

"Will you come with us?"

Pause. "… I'd love to, but that's kinda up to the Doctor."

"If he ever goes back to how he was…"

"Rose, you're not being fair on 'im," Jackie said sternly.

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry," she said. "Just every time I look at him, talk to him, and he's just staring at me blankly I want to cry."

"Would you rather he died?" Jack said seriously.

"No… I just feel so helpless." Even by her voice the Doctor could tell she was crying. "I want to make him better, but I can't."

The Doctor slowly rose out of bed, suddenly not tired anymore. He pulled on the dressing gown hanging by the doorway and slipped out the door, limping back into the sitting room where he found Rose sobbing into her mum, Jack watching on. They all looked up on his entry, surprised.

He moved straight over to Rose, sitting down next to her and hugging her tightly, silently. She returned it, still sobbing into him. After a moment he pushed her away, drying her tears with his thumb.

"I still here," he said. "I get better fast. You help, good. Don't cry please, Rose."

She sniffed, and he pulled her back into a hug again. And he didn't let go for a very long time.


	24. Trip Down Memory Lane

The next day, the Doctor deemed it safe to take his bandages off.

It was a relief to get them off once and for all, his right arm itching like crazy as he scratched at it furiously until it was redder than beetroot. He wasn't hurting as much as he had – he'd even risked coming off of his constant endorphin flow and was surprised to find only a small amount of pain afflicted him.

When he didn't eat, he slept. He advised the others in disjointed English that this was perfectly normal and they shouldn't be worried.

Meanwhile society was beginning to rebuild itself. Even channels were beginning to broadcast again on the TV channels, newsreaders assuming their former positions as everyone took back their jobs. Jack had half-expected the world to turn to chaos, but so many lives had been lost that it suddenly didn't matter who your neighbours were, everyone needed help. He could only really equate it to the World Wars back in 20th century England.

One day the Doctor woke up to the sound of Jack whistling quietly to himself in another room. He got out of bed and got dressed as best he could, and went into the living room to find Jack polishing the coffee table.

"Hey Doc," he said on his entry. "Good sleep?"

"Sure," he replied, stretching widely and yawning. "The recurring state of relatively suspended sensory, motor activity and response to external stimuli to undergo a characteristic cycle of brain-wave activity is great for helping my impaired motor functions and brain to reset to its natural state of function."

"That's good to hear…" Jack resumed polishing for a second, before he suddenly did a double-take. "Wait a minute,  _what?!"_

The Doctor grinned at him. "Hello, Jack," he said, with no hint of the accent that had affected his words for what seemed like months.

"Holy shit!" Jack dropped the polish and ran forward towards him, hugging him tightly in both arms with a grin on his face. "You're back!"

The Doctor laughed. "Yeah, but you're crushing me now."

"I don't care!" Jack yelled, still hugging him. The Doctor hugged him back.

"Where's Rose?"

"Out with Jackie gettin' some food," Jack answered without letting go. The Doctor's eyes flickered over to the TV buzzing in the corner, showing the midday news.

_"And as the list of the dead begins to build, most of the population of the UK have found permanent or temporary homes to live in. John Barnes reports…"_

The Doctor frowned, still in the vice-like grip of an overly enthusiastic Jack. "It got sorted out, then?" he asked.

Jack pulled away, confused, before he followed the Doctor's gaze to the TV. "Oh…" He paused, thinking. "… Bit of amnesia, still?"

The Doctor shrugged. "You're asking the amnesiac if he has amnesia? Smart tact, Jack."

Jack considered him for a moment, the Time Lord grinning from ear-to-ear. Something was different about him. He dismissed it. Probably just his imagination.

"Well, if you still have amnesia tellin' you what you're missin' won't help," Jack said. "Wait for Rose and Jackie to get home and we can figure it out."

The Doctor nodded, dropping down onto the sofa. They didn't have to wait long before the front door opened and Rose and Jackie came in, clutching bags and bags of food.

"Rose! Jackie!" Jack yelled, running towards the pair and jumping up and down in excitement. "It's the Doctor! He can speak English again!"

 _"What?!"_ Rose said, shocked as Jackie clasped her hands to his face, and then ran over to the Doctor still sitting on the sofa, engulfing him in a huge hug and placing motherly kisses all over his face.

"Well done, you! You did it! You did it!" she kept saying over and over again, but the Doctor wasn't resisting her attentions for once. Rose moved forward as her mother let go, wrapping her arms around him tightly. They didn't need to exchange words as they held each other in silence for a good while, just glad to be alive and together.

"I missed you," she said.

"I missed me too," he replied, pressing a kiss to her forehead. After a moment she pulled back and looked at him, panning him up and down.

"Still haven't got the hang of gettin' dressed yet?" she asked.

He winced. "They jump out of my hands…"

She laughed, beginning work on him. After a minute he was straightened up and she drew back, adjusting his messy hair.

"I still have some amnesia," the Doctor said. "But I don't know what I'm missing."

"We'll get it back, we can talk." She took a seat next to him and gripped his hand as Jackie and Jack sat down on the other sofa. "What's the last thing you remember?"

He paused, thinking it over. "I remember… a dark street and… an information board?" He shrugged, but Rose's frowned deepened. "Then… something black. Then there was pain in my side and my head… Then that's where it stops."

"That's the night we first landed. You were hit by the van."

"After that there're some flashes of things… but they don't make any sense."

"Anything's good, Doc," Jack said, encouraging him.

"I can't remember." He stopped looking deflated and instead he was angry, angry at himself. "Why can't I remember?! This isn't supposed to happen!" He looked down towards the floor, hands entangled in his hair.

"Doctor…" Rose said gently, and he looked up to be faced by a bedraggled teddy bear in her grip. She gave it to him. "You can remember."

He stared at the bear in his hands for a moment, calming down. He thought some more.

"There was…" He gritted his teeth, running the hand that wasn't holding the bear through his hair to try and urge his thoughts on. "There was… the number 5. In white writing. On a wall."

"Good," Rose said, squeezing his hand to encourage him on. "What else?"

"A girl," he said. "I can't remember her name."

"It started with J," Jack said helpfully.

The Doctor's brow furrowed. "… Jess? Or Jane." He thought some more. "No… I'm confused."

"It's okay," Rose said gently, rubbing his arm. "What else?"

"I remember…" He paused again. "Steak."

Jack and Rose smiled slightly at this. "Anythin' else?" Jack asked.

"I remember…" He closed his eyes, falling silent for a moment. "I remember… Sontarans! Sontarans were here and we… we… had to do something to stop them, we did the thing, but then…" He suddenly stopped, before jerking his head back up again, eyes wide. He looked down at his chest, pulling apart his shirt to reveal the now dying bruises and cuts etched into his skin. He looked up at them, eyebrows lowering. "… That wasn't from getting hit by the van was it," he stated more than asked. "How long has it been since we landed?"

"Nearly two months," Rose answered.

The next pause was only momentary. "They tortured me." The words cut like the other three like knives.

Jack nodded solemnly and Jackie had her hand on her mouth. Rose looked as though she might burst into tears. The Doctor glanced between Jack and Rose, Rose in particular. She still had some light bruises on her face.

"No… no," he whispered. "Rose…" He took her hands and gazed into her eyes. "Tell me… tell me they didn't torture you…"

Rose couldn't stop the single tear from rolling down her cheek. "No," she whispered. "You didn't let them. But there's more you need to remember."

He frowned again, aware of all eyes on him. "There's nothing else. I can't remember."

"You've done well, sweetheart," Jackie said gently, smiling. "I'll get some lunch on and you can try again later if you want."

He nodded, looking back at the bear in his hands as Jackie got up from the sofa and disappeared into the Kitchen. Rose made to follow, but the Doctor stopped her.

"Rose," he suddenly said, still staring at the bear. "I need to know something."

"What?"

"I know I'm missing something else from my memory, but I can't think."

"I'll try and help."

"The other Time Lords," he said, breaking his gaze from the bear to Rose. "I should be able to feel them, but I can't."

Jack and Rose seemed to pale and go rigid, glancing between each other.

"Did I get exiled again or something?" he asked, oblivious to their reactions.

"… That's also somethin' you need to remember yourself, Doc," Jack said quietly.

"Oh, okay," the Doctor said, getting to his feet and putting the bear on the sofa. "Can I help?"

"What?" Rose was caught off guard.

"With lunch…" he prompted, grinning. "Seriously, Rose, I'm beginning to think you're the one with brain damage, not me."

She caught herself again. "Oh, well, just ask Mum."

"Okay," he said brightly, bounding off into the kitchen. Jack and Rose waited until the door was closed before they frantically began to whisper.

"Jack, what the hell are we gonna do?"

"I don't know…" Jack muttered, a hand to his forehead.

"He's changed… He's really happy. Happier than before."

"If he's forgotten what happened to the Time Lords…" Jack paused, staring at the closed kitchen door.

Rose nodded, fully understanding. "He's forgotten the Time War…"


	25. Bonding

The next day Kate came around for a surprise visit.

She greeted them all warmly, elated to see the Doctor back to English with his bandages gone. After a small chat with them she sat down with the Doctor and examined him from head to toe, checking every potential ailment there seemed possible with a varying array of bizarre tests.

When she was done the Doctor went to bed, still utterly exhausted as his body tried in vain to heal itself. For a while Kate, Rose, Jackie and Jack chatted idly over a pot of tea until they deemed it safe that the Doctor was asleep.

"He's definitely improved," she said, taking out the chart she'd recorded her data on. "His physical injuries have healed a lot quicker than the normal rate of a human and his motor functions and reflexes have improved drastically since I last examined him. You've all done very well. Is there anything you need to tell me?"

"He has some partial amnesia," Jack explained.

"What has he forgotten?"

"He forgot everythin' from landin' on Earth two months ago to when he woke up in hospital," Jack explained. "We managed to jog his memory a bit on that, but then…" His voice seemed to die in his throat as he glanced sideward at Rose, cuing her to speak.

"Years ago, he was in this war," she began to explain, fiddling with her fingers. "This Time War… He doesn't really open up about it, but his entire race died in that war. He's the only one left of his kind. He lost everyone. But now he's forgotten it happened… He thinks they're all still alive."

"It defines who he is, without it he's… a completely different person," Jack said.

Kate frowned. "We can only wait and see if it comes back. But…" she paused and then leant forward, conspiratorial. "If he remembers, he's going to have to go through the grieving process all over again. You have to be ready for that. I can't equate anything I've felt to losing my entire race, so…" She closed her eyes, bowing her head. She didn't need to say the rest.

The Doctor took Rose out for dinner. She couldn't say exactly say no though it wasn't a very Doctor-ish thing for him to do. They went to a posh restaurant that had managed to restart business since the invasion, serving good food at cheap prices with candles and red drapes for an intimate atmosphere.

Jackie had given the Doctor some money, but he didn't need it anyway. People still recognised him from what had happened, and the Doctor had never seemed more confused in the time Rose had known him. People kept coming up to them, thanking them and shaking their hands until the Doctor had finally had enough and demanded she tell him what exactly they'd done to deserve it. Finding no alternative, she told him what had happened in the Sontaran Headquarters – the ultimatum. The more and more she spoke the more and more pale he became as the memories surfaced.

"No wonder my head hurts," he said, hands running through his hair for the fifteenth time that minute. "What happened after the roof caved in?"

She shrugged at this. "You'll have to ask Jack. I was out of it by then."

"I'm sorry," he said, looking down at the tablecloth.

"For what?" she asked.

"I shouldn't have let you get hurt…"

She took his hand, squeezing it where it lay on the table. "It wasn't your fault."

His eyes connected with hers, and he reached up to caress her cheek with the hand she wasn't holding. "You're too perfect to be hurt. I'll never let anything hurt you ever again."

She didn't really know what to say to this. He was so much more expressive with his emotions than before, he really seemed like a completely different person. So she just smiled and let go of his hand, calling the waiter for their bill.

As it transpired, the restaurant paid the bill for them, and considered it an honour. They left to a crowd of applause out into the night air, stomachs full and hand-in-hand.

"Back home, then?" Rose asked.

"Can we take a walk first? Been cooped up in that flat for ages." He laughed happily.

She nodded, smiling. "Sure."

It was getting dark. They strolled through the silent city, into a park just a few steps down the road. The Doctor led her over to a park bench, pulling off his coat and placing it around her shoulders before dropping down onto the bench, arms and legs splayed, surveying the scenery.

"Rebuilding's going well," he commented.

"'Things are gonna finally go back to normal," Rose said, wrapping the coat around her tightly and dropping down onto the bench next to him.

"I'm sorry for being a burden to you lately," he said suddenly. She glanced at him, finding him staring across the park at nothing.

"It's okay, you need time to heal," she replied gently. He looked at her, and they exchanged smiles. He put an arm around her and drew her closer towards him.

There was a moment as they just took in the late night atmosphere together, the moon shining brightly and the stars twinkling above them.

"Rose," he said suddenly.

"Yeah?" she snuggled closer into him, enjoying his warmth.

"There's this thing Gallifreyans do," the Doctor said almost glowing in the moonlight. "It's called bonding. It's sort of like marriage for humans, but a bit more. You bond emotionally and physically to the person, you feel what they feel. If the person is happy, the other person happy, if the person is sad, the other person is sad. If the person is hurt, the other person won't feel their pain, but they'll feel their distress. The two people want each other every moment of every day. Bonding can only be broken by death. It's something that you have to be completely sure you want to do. It's commitment forever."

Rose paused, staring at him for a moment. "Why are you tellin' me this?"

"Because…" he took her hands into his own, gazing intently into her eyes. "Because I'm sure. I want to bond with you."

Rose stared at him. "…What?"

"I love you."

Rose couldn't believe it. She resisted the urge to pinch herself, thinking she was somehow dreaming. "… Are you serious?" she asked, eyes wide.

He laughed that gorgeous laugh, his eyes sparkling. "Totally. I want to bond with you, and then if you want, we can marry. I can give you children if you want them."

I can give you children. The words seemed completely unreal coming from him. There was nothing she'd love more than…

He leant forward and she suddenly felt soft lips on hers in a passionate kiss under the moonlight. She found herself kissing him back as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her towards him. She was pressed against his chest, her arms embracing him with her heart thudding in her chest as his tongue explored her mouth, and she loved every single millisecond of it. She wanted him as he wanted her. She wanted to be with him, forever.

Finally he parted from her, and Rose was left feeling slightly light-headed. He smiled at her, his hands dropping to her waist.

"What d'you say?" he asked.

Then she realised something.

"Doctor," she began, her voice and arms shaking as she held his hands. "I…"

He gave her an encouraging grin. It broke her heart.

She swallowed. "… I can't do this. I can't bond with you. I just can't. I'm sorry."

She let go of his hands got up from the bench, running off before she got the chance to see his face. She ran all the way back to the Powell Estate, tears blinding her as they ran like a waterfall down her face. She burst into the flat, startling Jackie and Jack before she ran straight into her bedroom and slammed the door shut behind her.

She slid down against the door, and sobbed unashamedly.


	26. The Time War

Jackie tentatively knocked on the door of Rose's bedroom. She could quite clearly hear sobbing.

"Rose? Love?" she asked, resting her hand on the door handle. Rose didn't reply. She pushed on the door handle, but the door had something blocking it on the other side. Suddenly the weight shifted and Jackie opened the door to find Rose sitting on her bed, crying her eyes out.

"Rose," Jackie stepped forward and sat down on the bed beside her daughter, taking her into a hug. "What's wrong?"

For a few moments she just continued to cry into Jackie, unable to form the words through her hysteria. Jackie was patient, holding her tightly.

"Doctor…" she finally whispered, struggling to get the words out.

"The Doctor? What happened? Is he okay?"

She sniffed back more tears. "He… He…" she struggled to get the words out. "He… asked me… to… marry him… have kids… do this… Time Lord… bond… love thing… I can't… I want… but… I… can't…"

"Aww, sweetheart." Jackie kissed her forehead. "Why can't you?"

She gasped again as Jack appeared in the doorway, hesitant of the sight in front of him. Rose now seemed incapable of forming any coherent words.

"He can't remember the Time War," Jack answered for Rose. "He can't remember his family dyin'… if he did then he wouldn't ask Rose to bond. If they bonded then he remembered he…" Jack trailed off, looking at the floor.

"Where's the Doctor, love?" Jackie asked Rose gently.

"Don't… know… I ran… away…"

"You left him? Where?"

"Burgess… Park…"

Jackie nodded, beckoning for Jack to take over her position of holding Rose as she got to her feet.

"I've gotta go find 'im," she said. Jack nodded. The Doctor was still brain damaged, and now he was wandering around London in the dark probably utterly distraught.

By the time the Doctor had got back to the Powell Estate, he was crying. He couldn't face going back into the flat where he was sure Rose would be so he ran to the TARDIS, fumbling clumsily for his key that he still couldn't manage to grasp through his impaired motor functions. He yelled in frustration before he finally clasped it, roughly jamming it into the lock on the fourth attempt and turning it.

He emerged into the familiar surroundings of the TARDIS, and instantly he felt her concern wash over him. He slammed the door shut, storming over to the console and commencing programming. He had to get as far away from Earth as possible, and never come back.

The TARDIS was trying to comfort him, to talk to him but he tried desperately to ignore her. He was jabbing at buttons but quickly realised it was doing nothing. His stupid dysfunctional brain couldn't even manage to program the TARDIS anymore. Anger boiled up inside of him as tears continued to course down his face, the TARDIS still persistently trying to talk to him.

"Shut up!" he yelled, grabbing a hanging mallet and bringing it down on the console repeatedly, smashing everything in sight. The TARDIS whined, pleading him to stop but he was too distraught to hear her as he continued to smash the console with the mallet, out of control. Finally the TARDIS fell silent and after a few moments he stopped in mid-swing, blinking as he realised what he'd done.

"No… No…" he muttered, dropping to his knees and pressing his face into the side of the console. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please come back, I'll fix you…"

She came back into his head, whining in pain. The Doctor caressed her, tears still rolling down his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… Please forgive me."

She stopped whining, and instead a feeling of warmth and love wrapped around him. She was concerned for him; worried. She told him it was okay, and she'd been through a lot worse. He gasped in air through his tears as she hovered outside his mind, asking for entry. He was in no fit state to close or open his mind so he just nodded and she let herself in, accessing his memory for herself.

As the scene of what just happened replayed in his mind, he fell to the floor, head in his hands with tears still pouring down his face. When it was over the TARDIS wrapped him in warmth and love again as he lay in a ball on the floor, trembling. It was all she could really do.

There came a knock on the TARDIS door. "Doctor?" asked Jackie's voice. "Doctor? Are you in there?"

The Doctor didn't have the strength to reply so the TARDIS unlocked the door herself, and Jackie pushed it open. The TARDIS console was in pieces, a mallet lying next to the Doctor. She didn't need a diagram. The Doctor himself was lying unmoving on the floor and she panicked, running over to him. She relieved to find him alive, but crying. It was so strange to see him crying.

"Doctor," she said, pulling him up and hugging him tightly. "It's okay."

He shivered. "I hate this. I hate… I hate being like this. Something's wrong with me… but I feel fine," his voice trembled. Jackie held him tighter, like he was her own son.

"It's okay, sweetheart, you'll get better."

"I don't…" He sniffed. "Understand…"

She rubbed his back. "Come up to the flat and you can get some sleep. You'll feel better in the mornin'."

He nodded, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand as Jackie helped him to his feet. Within minutes they'd entered the door of the flat, and thankfully Rose wasn't in sight. She took him to the spare room and helped him to get changed, before leaving him to sleep.

The Doctor tossed and turned through the night in the throes of a nightmare. Images of the Time War plagued his subconscious…

He sat bolt upright in the bed, shivering and perspiring with panic and fear. The dream remained.

He remembered.

The grief hit him like a train as suddenly he remembered his family and friends dying, dying by his own hand. He was the only one left. The last Time Lord in existence. Everyone he had ever known was dead. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it… but now he remembered the events with such clarity, he knew he could not imagine it. He wanted to scream and cry and destroy everything in sight, but he just no longer had the energy to.

He got out of bed, shaking. He walked out into the hall, finding the hall dark and lifeless at the hour of 4am. As the burning grief rose up inside of him he realised that there was really only one solution.

He went to the Tyler's bathroom, pulling open the cabinet, eyes searching for what he needed. He found it. He pulled out the box of aspirin and examined the contents – there were five left. That would ensure his death.

He carried the box to the Kitchen, searching for a glass in the cupboards. He filled one with water from the tap and took out the five aspirin, laying them in a line beside the glass of water on the worktop.

Then he realised.

He couldn't do this. Rose didn't deserve this. Now he knew why she'd said no. She had been protecting him. She didn't want him to remember and then hate her.

He left the water and aspirin on the worktop and walked over to Rose's bedroom door, turning the handle quietly and peeking through the gap.

She'd cried herself to sleep. And now he understood why. He moved forward and sat down on the mattress next to her, brushing back her hair from her eyes and taking a moment to take her in before he began to gently rub her back, bringing her out of her dreams. She opened her eyes sleepily, looking up into his gaze.

She instantly sat up, eyes wide as she stared at him. He looked to the duvet before looking back at her, his expression unreadable. Though she could tell he was only just about holding himself together.

"I remember," he said shortly.

She leant forward and hugged him tightly, understanding his grief. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. The Doctor didn't reply directly. He was crying again.

"I… I looked for aspirin," he admitted, and he felt her tense. "But I thought… I thought of you… and I stopped."

Rose continued to hold him for as long as he needed her. She had no idea how long she sat there holding the weeping Doctor but he needed her more than ever, and she was happy to help him.

"Come on," she suddenly whispered as the sky outside began to lighten, coaxing him into her bed. She was pretty sure that by now he didn't have any tears left to cry. "You need to sleep, you're exhausted."

"But… my dreams…" the Doctor whispered, but Rose quickly silenced him.

"I'll protect you."

If it was anyone but Rose, he'd be adamant in not sleeping. He was positive when he slept he'd dream of the War, the death… but somehow, having her there was the reassurance he needed. He knew he needed to sleep. He was still recovering, and he simply couldn't brush it off.

He slipped into the bed, Rose pulling the covers over them both as he held him in comfort.

"Rose," he whispered. She looked down at him. "Thank you."

In answer she just brushed back his hair from his eyes as he closed them, asleep within minutes.


	27. Departure

Just a few hours later Jackie got up.

Her first port of call was to check on the Doctor. She was desperately worried for him. She went straight to the spare room, opening the door quietly so as not to wake him up. But he wasn't there.

She panicked, scouting the flat for any signs of the Time Lord just incase he'd awoken. Nothing. She arrived last at Rose's room, thinking it was the last place she would find him, but all the same gently pushed open the door.

She was really quite surprised to find him and Rose sleeping in her bed together, still fully dressed. Silently she closed the door again, smiling to herself.

* * *

For the next few days the Doctor didn't talk very much. He remained in a silent state, seemingly on autopilot as he moved around the flat. His reflex and motor functions were almost normal again and apart from a few light bruises on his chest he was completely physically healed.

Anytime anyone saw him they hugged him tightly, and for a very long time. They knew he needed comfort and love, and were all too happy to give it. The glass of water and the five aspirin laid out on the table stayed exactly where he'd left them, and remained untouched for weeks. Eventually the Doctor had thrown the aspirin in the bin himself, as if destroying a demon once and for all. He had thought about taking them a few times, but he couldn't go back to being his ninth self; lost and lonely and angry and terrified. He had Rose now. He had Rose and Jack and, god forbid, even Jackie. They were his family now, and he was proud to call them that. He'd never get over what had happened during the Time War, but he might as well start trying to move on now. It was what his wife would have wanted, he was sure.

Three weeks after he'd reclaimed his Time War memories the Doctor woke up on a bright, sunny day. He got up and got dressed, walking into the flat kitchen and making a cup of tea. Jack walked in halfway through in just his boxers, yawning and stretching widely.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "No one wants to see that, Jack."

Jack grinned. "Rose and Jackie don't seem to mind…"

The Doctor rolled his eyes as Jack came in to hug him tightly. The kettle clicked and they parted, the Doctor taking another mug down from the hooks for Jack.

"How are you feelin'?" Jack asked, taking a seat at the table.

"Okay," the Doctor replied, setting the mugs down on the table. "I'm ready to leave."

Jack almost dropped the mug in shock. "Huh? You sure?"

The Doctor nodded. "I'm practically healed, and though I probably won't get back the memories of the past few months, I know enough. By the way… what happened after the roof caved in?"

Jack stared at him for a moment. "How much do you know?"

"Rose told me what happened from when we landed to when the roof caved in."

Jack's eyes seemed to disconnect from his. "You sure you wanna know?"

He nodded.

"It collapsed. I died under it, and when I came back I was scared – I thought you and Rose would've died too. I managed to dig you out, you were completely concussed and bleeding everywhere. I put you down on the side and went to find Rose. But when I found her…" He trailed off.

"What?" the Doctor prompted.

"She was almost dead. She was so broken. I carried her over to you, laid her down beside you and I went to find an exit before the rest of the ceilin' collapsed. When I got back… You were hysterical, cryin' and screamin' and huggin' her. I thought she'd died…"

The Doctor nodded, understanding, leaning forward slightly. "Then?"

"You started yellin' in Gallifreyan, I dunno what it was exactly, but I know you were tellin' me to let go of you, beggin' me. I was hurtin' you, just by touchin' you, because I'm 'wrong'…" He paused, his eyes connecting with the Doctor's. "Do I hurt you when I touch you?"

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. "I'm time sensitive, Jack. You're a fixed point in time and space, and you're completely wrong."

"You didn't answer the question."

The Doctor paused. "Yes, you do," he finally said. Jack's face fell. "But I've learnt to control it. What happened after the ceiling collapse was I reverted back to animal instinct, I lost all control over it. You were like a lion and I was a gazelle. Yes, you would've been hurting me."

"… You mean, I can't touch you?" Jack asked, looking like he'd been punched in the stomach.

The Doctor quickly raised a hand. "I can manage it when I'm conscious and in control of my senses. Just try not to touch me skin-on-skin for too long, the prolonged contact could give me burns and blisters. What happened after that?"

Jack almost seemed to be on the verge of tears. He took a gulp of tea. "I found an exit, I dragged you out. You were still kickin' and screamin', wouldn't let go of Rose. Finally I managed to calm you down and you spoke English again. We found a van, you found a first aid kit in the back and treated Rose with it…" He gave a small grin. "Kate said what you did in that van probably saved Rose's life. We got to the camp and you collapsed. You were in a coma for eleven days until Kate managed to get you and Rose to the hospital, and the rest you probably know," he finished, gauging a reaction from the Doctor.

He simply nodded, looking down at his cup of tea that he cradled in both hands. "Thank you for telling me."

Jack nodded back. "So… you're ready to go?" he sounded somehow hopeful. The Doctor suddenly laughed. It warmed Jack's heart to hear it once more after so long, but he was still confused. "What?"

"You only have to ask," the Doctor said simply.

Jack beamed. "Can I travel with you?"

"Yeah." The Doctor grinned back. "I'd love it!"

"Oh, YES!" Jack punched the air and jumped out of his seat, running to hug the Doctor tightly. After a moment he let go, drawing back in uncertainty. "Touched too long?"

"Oh, too long is over five minutes," the Doctor assured him. Instantly Jack grasped him tightly in both arms again, lifting his left arm to time himself on the clock of his time manipulator.

After a moment the Doctor shifted in his grip. "You can let go now, Jack."

"Three minutes, two seconds left…" Jack said happily. The Doctor couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

The Doctor announced his intentions of departure over lunch to them all, Jackie quite predictably launching into babble about how he wasn't well enough and he should try to relax before he tried to get himself blown up again, but Rose simply hugged him and smiled. Evidently she was ready to go too.

Over the afternoon the Doctor made repairs to the TARDIS, who was delighted to find him back on form. She wrapped him in happiness and love as he worked, repairing the systems he'd destroyed in his blind rage. The TARDIS could quite clearly feel his guilt at what had happened but she kept reassuring him that it wasn't his fault, and all that mattered was that he was better now.

At 6pm the motley family ate their last meal together, Spaghetti Bolognese. The farewells were emotional, Jackie almost grabbing the Doctor into submission and making him swear they would come back and visit her soon.

The three boarded the TARDIS, and the Doctor commenced programming. Soon they were flying through the vortex, the three on-board being erratically thrown about, just like the old days.

Rose moved over to the Doctor, hugging him silently. He smiled and turned, hugging her back. After a moment he took her hand and led her over to the captain's chair, sitting her down before taking a seat next to her.

"The last time I asked you I probably wasn't reliable," he said, smiling gently as he took her hands. Her eyes widened. "I really am sure, you know. I'm a time traveller for Rassilon's sake; I can't keep going on with one foot in the past. I'm ready to move on. And I think this is the first step." He swallowed, and then looked directly into her eyes. "I love you. Will you bond with me?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling. "Of course I will. I love you."

He leant forward, and kissed her passionately.

It was from that point on they knew that their lives would never be the same again, but never had they been so fantastic.

**The End**


End file.
